Darkest Desires
by Lupinswolfie
Summary: Moony growled suddenly. 'This is my only warning, mate. I will have you, whether the human likes it or not. You will give in to me because we are destined to be together and you’ll find you can’t deny me.' COMPLETE!
1. The Wolf

**AN: This is an original idea of mine that I wrote for MistressMalfoy's Birthday Challenge at GrangerEnchanted. The ideas are original along with the plot, so please respect that and don't steal them. I'm doing a 'Moony Series' with these ideas (especially the Remus/Moony aspect) and I would appreciate your respect as an author! I don't want to sound rude, or anything of the sort, but I want to be able to write this series without it becoming cliche from so many other stories being written like it! Thanks so much for understanding:D wolfie**

Night came quickly to number twelve, Grimmauld Place and the occupants were quietly settled into their rooms. Remus, however, had been tossing and turning for several hours; a burning sensation flowing through his body that he couldn't stop, nor could he explain.

"Remus, love, is there some reason you can't be still? I have to work tomorrow, remember?"

"Sorry, Dora," he whispered quietly, "rough night."

He slowly sat up, swinging his bare legs off the bed and searching for his pajama bottoms in the dark. "I think I'll go to the kitchen," he said.

"Mmm? Okay," came her sleepy reply.

Smiling at his sleeping wife and gently caressing her cheek, Remus slid his pants up his naked thighs and tied them loosely at his waist before heading downstairs to the comforts of chocolate. As he padded down the stairs, he sniffed the air around him, then eagerly sniffed a little harder. It had to be her, he mused. Only Hermione could fix hot chocolate that made his mouth water like Pavlov's dogs at the mere thought. He had tried several times to get the secret recipe from her, but she remained tight-lipped, refusing to tell him how because she thought he'd make himself sick by drinking too much. Of course, she was probably right. It wouldn't do for him to founder himself on the delectable drink and then miss their nighttime conversations that he had come to crave in a house full of Quidditch-talking Aurors.

Her back was turned towards him as she slowly poured two cups of steaming, brown liquid into the large mugs. Trying to get the best of her, he quietly snuck into the kitchen and crept up behind her…closer and closer, wanting to grab her and make her squeal in surprise.

"Hello, Remus," she said, the smile on her face transferred to her voice as well.

"Damn," he muttered, "how did you know?"

She turned around to face him, handing him his drink while her smile slowly slid off her face and was replaced with a confused look. "I don't really know, to be honest. I just knew you were there, that's all. And you never can resist my hot chocolate."

"Strange, but this is you we're talking about," he grinned down at her when she suddenly glared at him. Her curls were put up in a messy ponytail and her face was fresh and devoid of makeup, making her look more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before. Unsure where exactly that thought came from, he decided to change the subject all together. "Marshmallows?" he pouted.

"I forgot!" she squeaked, turning quickly to the cabinet and reaching for the bag of sugary goodness. "Okay," she murmured, reaching up further and exposing her bare waist to his prying eyes, "who the hell moved my marshmallows?"

He walked up behind her, reaching across her body and into the cabinet. When his fingers skimmed across the bag, his body pressed into hers and a jolt of lightening soared through him. She must have felt it as well, he thought, because she gasped and then held herself stiff until he moved his hand.

"Thank you," she stammered quietly, a light blush staining her cheeks as she turned around to face him.

The bag was held out in front of him, awaiting her acceptance, but his body refused to move back the appropriate distance. Her trembling hand reached out for the bag, but as her fingers grazed his own, he felt drawn to her. Their eyes locked and their breathing became raspier, but their hands never moved from each other and she was trapped between his hard, half naked body and the counter.

Her breasts heaved against the tight tank top and her body felt as though it were on fire. Remus was looking at her like he never had before; lust and desire swimming in his otherwise calm blue eyes, while flecks of amber that she had never seen before flashed through them. Her body reacted of its own accord and she leaned closer to him, her mind frantically protesting the actions, but the signal was lost along its way to her feet. She knew the moment they would kiss, saw his eyes dart to her lips only seconds before he leaned down and claimed them with his own. A soft brush of his lips against hers at first, a whisper of a kiss, until she mewed with pleasure and need and he dropped his hands to her waist, pulling her flush against his body and forcefully claiming her mouth as the marshmallows fell to the floor unnoticed.

Remus' mind was reeling with guilt as his tongue fought with hers and he pulled her even closer. A thousand reasons why this was wrong and why he had to stop were flying in front of his closed eyelids, but none as prevalent as the thought of his wife lying in their bed upstairs. He knew that if anyone in the house walked in on them, there would be hell to pay and then some, but when the witch in his arms splayed her hands across his bare chest and he tasted the chocolate within her mouth, he also knew he was lost. Something about the entire encounter didn't feel right to him, something was off that he couldn't explain, and when the growl rumbled from deep within his chest, he broke away suddenly.

"Hermione, I'm…"

He was interrupted by a loud bang at the door, allowing them both the excuse they wanted not to talk about what had just happened.

"Dammit all to hell," they heard a muffled voice bark in anger, followed by another loud bang.

"Who could that be this time of night?" Hermione asked, unconsciously taking Remus' hand and following him to the door. Her body was hidden behind his and she peeked out around his shoulder.

"Remus! Harry! Someone get yer arse down here and let me in my own fucking house!"

They shared a look of shock before she slowly moved out from around Remus, shaking her head and smiling slightly. When she opened the door, she had to rush forward quickly to catch the falling man before her. Remus was only half a second behind her, catching them both and helping to steady them.

"Honestly, Sirius," Remus sighed, heaving the drunken man to his feet and dragging him to the sofa, "you've not been back two weeks and you're already getting drunk and looking for women?"

Sirius looked between them, eyes still blurry from intoxication. "So, did you two finally hook up, then?" he slurred then fell backwards onto the sofa.

"No, we did not _hook up_," Hermione ground out, before walking over to him and assessing the damage. His left eye was starting to bruise and a deep cut ran along his otherwise perfect forehead. "Now, what did you get yourself into this time?"

"Tain't my fault," he slurred again. "How was I supposed to know the bird was married? Or that her husband was only slightly smaller than a troll?"

Hermione stifled her giggles and almost lost control when she saw Remus doing the same. Summoning her first aid kit, she quickly laid out the few supplies she would need.

"The ring usually gives it away," Remus chided, picking Sirius' legs up and laying him out on the couch. He bent over his friend, still grinning, to look at his cut.

"Sorry, Moony, but I ain't that kinda guy," Sirius laughed as he looked at his friend's unhappy face.

Remus rolled his eyes and waved his left hand. "And I'm spoken for, mate, so you're out of luck," he said; looking over at Hermione, he added, "If you're alright with this bum, I'll go down and get our hot chocolate."

"Yea, we're fine," she muttered, already waving her wand over his eye and watching as the blue faded to yellow instantly while Remus closed the door behind himself.

"I still don't know what the fuck Moony was thinking," Sirius said clearly, surprising Hermione with the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Er, what do you mean?"

Sirius snorted loudly. "Marrying my little cousin. Fucking twat. You know they only pretend to be happy together. Hell, I could see it from the first day I came back."

"He seems happy enough," she replied, gently cleaning away the dried blood from his wound.

"Happy? Have you actually seen them together?" She ignored his drunken rant and poured antiseptic onto a cloth. "And I thought the veil was bad," he scoffed.

She looked at him for a moment, analyzing his words before speaking. "The veil? You said you couldn't remember anything about the veil, Sirius," she said softly.

"It was dark, Hermione," he murmured suddenly, completely catching her attention. His blue eyes bored into hers and she knew he wasn't nearly as drunk now as he had let on before; words came from him that she hadn't dared dream of hearing and they ripped at her very heart. "I could hear voices all around me," he continued, haunted by the sounds even weeks after his return.

"Voices?" she asked softly, her fingers gently working to clean his cut before she would heal it.

"I heard them constantly. Other people were in there, it wasn't just me."

Hermione's hand stilled over his cut, shaking at his revelation. "You weren't alone?"

"Very alone," he whispered, taking hold of her wrist and pulling her hand into his own. The action seemed to anchor him, allowing him to continue talking to her; revealing things to her that no one had ever heard before. "There were voices all around me and yet I was more alone than ever before." His voice hitched slightly. "It was frightening, Hermione, and I was scared."

All thoughts of healing him forgotten, Hermione shared his pain and willed him to continue as she gripped his hand tightly in her own. "What did you hear?"

"Words, phrases. Sometimes I would swear I heard people I knew and other times I couldn't tell one voice from the next." He looked as though he expected her to laugh at him, but he knew she never would. "It was strange, odd really, but I heard Rufus's voice, at least I think it was him, saying that it was pointless for the Unspeakables to waste their time on the veil when there was a war going on around them.

"Hot chocolate?" Remus called from the door.

Hermione tore her eyes from Sirius', both wishing the moment hadn't ended. Sirius because for the first time he felt relieved of a huge burden, Hermione because she felt robbed of a knowledge only Sirius could give her and knew he'd never speak of it again.

"Don't mind if I do," Sirius replied, cocking an eyebrow at Remus who became suddenly uneasy looking at the marshmallows sitting in front of him that Hermione had Summoned.

"So, no longer inebriated, my friend?" Remus asked, more to distract himself than anything else.

"You know me, Moony, always could handle my liquor. It's just overlarge Muggle fists I have problems with."

They both laughed, but Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics.

"Come now, love," Sirius goaded. "Don't tell me that in all those years I was gone, no one ever took you to a club." When she attempted to ignore him, he grinned. "So, tell me, you and Harry aren't together, and I doubt very seriously Ron would have taken you," he said with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "So, who?"

"Wrong Weasley," Remus smirked, earning himself a kick in the shin by Hermione.

The mischievousness was obvious in Sirius' smirk when he asked, "Really?"

"Oh, yes," Remus continued, a smile breaking out that he couldn't help even though he felt the wolf become restless for no apparent reason. "It appears that our sweet, innocent Hermione has had a thing for twins."

"What?!" Hermione asked in surprise. "How did you…no one was supposed to…"

Sirius spit his drink all over the table and stared at Hermione in shock and what appeared to be pride. "Fred and George? You? You, Fred, and George?" he stammered, making them both laugh at him.

"Not any longer." She sighed dramatically, giving in to the inevitable, "But it was so good while it lasted."

Sirius exploded in laughter and neither noticed the strained look that momentarily crossed Remus' face. Anger coursed through him without cause. It had been like this for almost a year now. His transformations had been much more difficult, even with the Wolfsbane Potion Hermione made for him, and it was starting to take its toll on the man. He had been fighting Moony from within and no one around him was the wiser about his situation. The wolf wanted to come out when the moon wasn't full and Remus had no idea why. He did notice, however, that things seemed worse around Hermione and he had no explanations for that, either. Perhaps his wolf had a very strong dislike for the young girl and was angry whenever she was around?

"You know, I honestly always thought Harry would end up with young Ginny," Sirius said nonchalantly.

Hermione gave a rather unladylike snort and scratched her ring finger which had suddenly begun tingling. "They tried, and failed miserably. It would appear that dear Ginny wanted The Boy Who Lived and not Harry. So, he started dating Daphne Greengrass. You met her once before and we all rather like her."

"Funny!" Sirius grinned, "he takes after me there. Tall, blond and gorgeous--just the way I like them!"

"I expect she'll be moving in soon enough," Remus said with a pleased smile. "She's nice and keeps his head out of his arse when the fame starts to get to him. They're a good match."

"Well, I think I need a shower. Care to join me, love?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sirius had started harmlessly flirting with her almost the day he came back. Since then, they had fallen into a camaraderie that both were beginning to cherish.

Remus watched Sirius leave and realized he was once again alone with Hermione. He had been avoiding this for the last several hours, unsure exactly what to say or do after he had kissed her. When he looked at her face, he saw she was staring intently at his own.

"Remus, don't look so worried," she said softly as she scratched her finger once more. "We'll just forget that it happened and not even think about it, alright?"

"Yea, okay. I really am sorry about that. Gods, Tonks is going to kill me!"

"Only if you tell her. And I don't think you're really foolish enough to do that. You and I were the only ones down there and so we're the only ones that know what happened. It's our secret to forget."

He looked up at her strangely for a moment, wondering if he really could keep something like this from his wife, before nodding his head in agreement. "Thank you, for being so…well, you."

She laughed softly and patted him on the shoulder. "You're quite welcome. Now go back to bed with your wife while I clean up here. You know," she said, testing the waters, "it really is amazing that Sirius is back, don't you think?"

"Astonishing."

"I wonder if…well, it stands to reason that if Sirius could come back…I mean, perhaps maybe."

"Hermione, what exactly are you thinking?" Remus asked curiously, although he had an idea where she was going with her ramblings.

"I wonder if it's possible that others could come back as well," she said in a rush.

"You can't tell anyone about this, Hermione," he said warily. "It wouldn't do to get their hopes up only to have them dashed later."

"I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing, Remus," she said irritably. "But I think it may be possible." She grinned over at him then, "Would you help me?"

Remus sighed, then laughed and nodded, knowing he couldn't resist a request from her. "There's no changing your mind when you set it to something. I'll help in any way I can as long as Harry and Sirius don't find out. It would devastate them to get their hopes up and it not work."

She watched as he left the room, silently cursing herself for asking for his help. She knew if anyone could help her the way she might need, it would be him, but she'd also have to work closely with him while the feelings of that kiss continued to pulse throughout her body. How was she going to do this? How was she going to work with Remus, someone else's husband for Merlin's sake, and hide the urges that she so desperately wanted to act on? And most importantly, why was she suddenly having these uncontrollable urges where Remus was concerned? And what the hell was wrong with her damned finger?!

"You really believe this, don't you, Remus?" Hermione asked with a smile.

They had been working in the library all afternoon, fueled by the tiniest glimpse of possibility in one of Sirius' old books. The book talked about wands and curses and then went into great detail about what was 'real and finite' and what was not. Remus had jumped on it, excited and motivated by the thoughts of seeing those he loved returned to him, but Hermione remained somewhat skeptical.

"Of course I do! If Sirius can come back, then I now firmly believe that anything is possible, especially with your brain and attention to detail."

"And don't underestimate your own knowledge. I'm just glad neither one of us has to work this week."

"Well, as the boss, I do have some say over when I take time off, and Sirius' return was a valid enough reason. No matter how long ago it was," he added with a smirk.

"I suppose so. However, you may head the Department of Magical Creature Research, but I am still a peon. A peon who is very lucky to have such an understanding boss."

"Yes," he replied sarcastically, "it must be rather difficult to have the bloody Minister of Magic think of you as a daughter. You've got him wrapped around your finger and you know it," he teased.

She grinned at him knowingly. "Yes, it really is so hard on me," she said airily.

He threw a pillow at her from the couch and she ducked it, laughing at his antics and marveling at the change in his features when he smiled so freely. He had been distant with her for quite awhile now, only spending short periods of time alone with her and always leaving with a strained face. She would have thought it was the kiss they shared two nights ago, but he'd been doing this for months…and months. Being able to talk with him these last two days had been more than nice. It was only her long-time attraction that she now had to keep hidden.

"But Kings knows my research has proven invaluable in the past and might do so again."

"Hopefully he'll get Sirius cleared of all charges today and allow him to walk around as a free man again," Remus said, dragging her from her thoughts and to the meeting Sirius was attending while they were locked in the library doing research on lost souls.

"I'm sure he will, now that the shock has worn off. People really couldn't believe that their own Minister was hiding Sirius' location all those years ago."

"But he has the sympathy vote, people love Sirius immediately, they always have."

"Yes, and it helps he's easy on the eyes. Did you see all those young witches swooning over him when we left?" she laughed.

Remus felt his chest constrict slightly. _Dammit, not again!_ he thought to himself. He had been rather surprised, and more than a little pleased, that the wolf had calmed down enough to allow him to do this research with Hermione. Now it appeared that the reprieve was over and the wolf was not happy once again. '_You have to let me do this,'_ he told the wolf sternly. '_If anyone can bring James and Lily back, it's Hermione. No matter what you feel about the woman, she's our only hope.'_

'_You have no idea how I feel about anything, human!' _the wolf spat in disgust. '_Finish your little study session first, but I don't wish to listen to her gloat about her men friends.'_

'_She's not gloating. Now, calm yourself and allow me to work with her.'_

'_Gladly,_' he replied and Remus swore he heard a smirk in the wolf's gravelly voice.

"Remus," her sweet voice broke in, "are you okay?"

"Is something wrong with Remus?"

"What?" he asked confusedly, smiling at his wife when she walked over to him from the door. "Nothing's wrong with me, love."

"No, Tonks, he's fine. I guess we've been working a bit too hard today, he kind of spaced out on me."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Glad you're home, Dora. How was work?"

"Not bad," she said offhandedly while taking a seat on his lap and kissing him thoroughly.

Hermione bit down on the small amount of jealousy she felt. So what if the last time a man made her feel all warm and fuzzy was six months ago when Blaise and she last made love? Blaise had been brilliant, but there was something not quite right in their relationship and they both had come to mutually realize it. However, Remus and Tonks were starting to make her nauseous, so she got up to retrieve yet another book.

"I'll call you when supper is ready. Will you be finished soon? I want a little time with you," Tonks pouted.

He smiled at her and brushed her cheek, saying softly, "We'll be finished soon, I promise. Then I'm all yours."

Hermione heard her girlish giggle and steeled herself against the rising bile in her throat. Who was she to deny anyone what she wished she had? When the door closed behind Tonks, Hermione grabbed the book she was looking for and turned to head back to the couch. As soon as she turned around, she found herself closely facing Remus. She gasped in surprise and tried not to notice the way the top three buttons of his untucked shirt were still undone, or how the sparse hairs were begging to be touched. Her eyes drifted upwards, taking in the throbbing vein in his neck, his chiseled jaw line, and his soft, demanding lips.

Before she realized what he was doing, he had her pushed against the bookshelf and himself settled between her now spread legs, the book falling to the floor. His hands gripped her hips with bruising strength as she wiggled against him.

"R…Remus, what are you doing?" she hissed, hating the way her body was already reacting to his.

A mirthless chuckle met her words, followed by a voice that she didn't recognize, a voice that sounds raspy and gravelly and sent waves of heat throughout her body. "The human is currently trying to fight his way out of the prison he keeps me locked in," he said, lowering his mouth to her ear and sucking her earlobe lightly between his teeth, drawing a whimper from her lips.

"I…I don't understand," she stammered.

"Of course you do. You're an intelligent witch," he said, pulling away from her and allowing her to look into his amber eyes.

Her look of shock was quickly replaced by a look of understanding and she relaxed slowly, still wary and cautious, but not nearly as upset as before. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she had known this was possible all along. "Moony," she said softly.

He lowered his mouth to her neck, lightly nipping and kissing her exposed vein as she leaned her head against the bookshelf and moaned softly. "A very, very intelligent witch," he murmured in between kisses to her tender flesh. "You see, he has been fighting me nearly all his life. We grew up together, the human and I, so one would think he would be a little more understanding of our needs."

One of the hands resting on her hips slowly started to move upwards as he spoke against her neck and sent shivers along her body. The other remained on her hip, holding her in place, while he roamed up her side to gently cup her breast. The moan fell from her lips unconsciously and she arched her body into his hand.

"I don't understand," she whimpered with her eyes closed, but her own hands came to rest on his chest. "Why are you doing this? What are you doing?"

"It's quite simple, witch. The human has mated with a woman in which I do not approve. I had warned him that she was not our mate, but he refused to listen to me…to reason. Now we have a problem."

"Y…you do?" she asked, melting into his arms as his raspy voice washed over her in ways she had never imagined possible and the bookshelf dug into her back.

"Yes, we do. You see, Hermione," he growled, sending more shivers along her spine when he said her name, "a wolf chooses his mate and it is truly a rare find. Many wolves go their entire lives without finding the one they are meant to be with; whereas I find that mine has been here all this time, right under my very nose."

"Certainly you don't mean me!" she gasped, wishing her voice sounded stronger and more confident. But, how often was it that one was approached by a werewolf, the actual wolf, and spoken to in such a way while the hands and lips of the man himself did the most glorious things to her body.

"Yes, you," he whispered, pushing into her even closer with his body so that she could feel his arousal.

"How do you know? Remus is married!"

"The human kissed you, did he not?" His lips turned up slightly in a wolfish grin as she stared into his eyes. "Granted, I gave him a push in that direction, but it was he who kissed you first, not me. It was both of us, however, that felt the reaction. I had my suspicions for many months, but I knew in that second who you were, what you were meant to be, but the human refuses to see it. His pathetic thoughts were of his own mate, the one that doesn't belong."

"Remus is not pathetic and I think you're crazy," she said, trying to push him away as reality and fear slowly seeped in.

He slammed her against the bookshelf once more, pinning her hands above her head with one hand as the other grabbed her face and turned it to him and his hips held her own in place. Her breath hitched and her eyes welled with tears. "Do not fear me, witch, for I will not hurt you, but do not test me either. I am not known for my tolerance. If you don't believe what I say is true," he snarled, "then ask the human who has been fighting with me for almost a year now, ever since his insufferable wedding when he forced that woman on me."

"You?" she asked in shock. Her heart was racing, but she could feel his beating steadily in his chest and before she realized it, hers began beating at the same rhythm. "You're the reason his transformations have been so much worse, why he looks more tired and worn than ever?"

"Yes, of course. I have allowed him to do as he pleases for far too long. It is time that I started taking more control where our livelihood is concerned."

He pressed his body harder into hers and she moaned softly at the touch. "We can't do this. Remus will be so mad at me and he'll never speak to me again. Please just leave him alone, let him be happy. He deserves to be happy," she pleaded.

"And what of me, mate? Do I not deserve happiness? Would having us both fall in love with the same woman not make us both happy?" he rasped, nuzzling her neck and lightly nipping at her throbbing vein.

"Both? Remus is in love with Tonks. He'd never even look at me that way!"

Moony growled suddenly. "This is my only warning, mate. I will have you, whether the human likes it or not. You will give in to me because we are destined to be together and you'll find you can't deny me. What he chooses to do while I'm dormant is his own decision."

"It doesn't work like that! He'll know and he'll hate me for it. Everyone will know!" she spat, angry with herself because she knew he was right, there was simply no way she could resist his future advances if they were anything like today's. Even if her mind refused, her body already hungered for him like it had for no other.

"It does now," he snarled, cupping her chin tighter in his hand. "He will not know what I do with you, only that I am more content and so will he be in return. If it is your desire that the other humans not know about us, that is fine…but I will have you." He kissed her fiercely, sending all the blood rushing to her center and leaving her lightheaded and hot. "You belong to me."


	2. Eternity

Hermione looked at the man before her, the gentle man with the surprisingly intelligent beast within. Her mind reeled with his words, even as he stepped back and resumed his place on the couch. She bent to retrieve the book and then slowly walked back over to him.

"Remus?" she asked cautiously.

"Huh?" he replied, shaking his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I keep getting lost in my thoughts."

_Lost in the wolf, more like, but I can never tell her that. No one can ever find out that Moony is trying to gain control…and winning._

"That's okay, Remus. Listen, I think supper is ready if you want to head on down."

"Yea, I guess I better. Dora has been nagging at me lately for not spending enough time with her."

"Is everything okay with you two?" she asked, then suddenly held up her hand and shook her head. "Never mind, it's really none of my business. It's just that I'm here if you ever, you know, want someone to talk to."

He regarded her closely for a minute. It would be great to have someone he could confide in about his issues, but because the wolf seemed to dislike her so much, Hermione was definitely not that person. At least Sirius was back, maybe they could talk once he and Harry unglued themselves from each other. Then again, what would Sirius know about marital problems and wolf problems? It wasn't as if Tonks was doing anything exactly wrong, but if you asked her, she would say it wasn't as if he was doing anything exactly right, either. He sighed heavily. "Thanks, Hermione, but I'm fine, really."

When the door closed behind him, Hermione slumped into the nearest chair and finally relaxed. What the hell had just happened? She had often wondered if there were actually two separate beings living inside of Remus, instead of a monster who only came out once every full moon, but to actually see it was something else entirely. And what had he meant by her being his mate and taking her no matter what? Moony had said Remus wouldn't know what he was doing and it certainly seemed that way just now, so perhaps they were two separate entities living within a single host. However, the wolf certainly had Remus' intelligence which was both exciting and frightening, and highly unexpected.

Her hands went through her already messy hair and she clutched it tightly to her scalp. Now what? Was she just supposed to wait on Moony to come to her again? What would he do if he did? And what does she always do when an unanswerable question is presented to her?

Grinning, Hermione stood and walked back to the bookcases that lined the wall. There was an entire section on dangerous creatures and she skimmed the titles quickly. _Werewolves and How To Use Them, The Blood of a Werewolf, The Full Moon and You, _and _How To Kill A Beast._ She cringed; knowing these books were dark was one thing, but allowing her mind to wander about the details was a bit too much. A hand on her shoulder made her jump and spin around, wand up and ready instantly out of habit.

"Easy, love," he chuckled, "it's only me. Thought I should tell you supper is ready. Tonks cooked and from what I remember, you and I will be raiding the kitchen come midnight."

She tried to hold back her laughter, but it was really too much. "Sirius, you're incorrigible!" Leaning over closer to his ear, she whispered, "She's gotten worse with time, just so you know."

Sirius groaned and she nodded her head knowingly. Then with a grin, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her out the door. "You know," he said laughing, "I really like you!"

"Gee, thanks. So," she encouraged when they stopped at the kitchen door.

"So what?"

"The meeting, how did the meeting go?!"

"Meeting? Oh," he said nonchalantly, "you mean the meeting where I was cleared of all charges and sent back here with the Ministry's pathetic apology?"

"Really?" she squealed, suddenly throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Yes, really," he laughed, holding her to him. "It was all thanks to you, though. If you hadn't talked to Kings and done that quick bit of research, I might have been sent back to Azkaban."

She released her tight hold on him, but allowed her hands to stay on his shoulders while his stayed on her hips. "It was the least I could do," she murmured through her happy tears.

"Oi! You two get in here already!"

After a glare in Remus' direction for interrupting them, Hermione and Sirius walked into the room. They took their seats beside each other, reaching for various odd looking dishes and trying not to grimace at the smell.

"Well, if I would have had some help down here, Remus, that wouldn't have happened."

"Dora, I never said…"

"You didn't have to! I know you well enough by now to know what you're thinking."

Hermione and Sirius shared a worried glace with each other before Sirius grinned slightly. "So, Daphne," he said loudly, interrupting the two arguing before him, "that's a lovely tattoo you have on your hip. When did you get it?"

Harry's face immediately turned red with anger and Daphne looked at him in shock. "How do you know where she has a tattoo?" Harry snarled, making Hermione, Sirius, and even Remus burst into fits of laughter.

"Oh, not to worry, Harry. Tonight I'll teach you both locking and silencing charms. That way, the next time I get slightly drunk and try to find my room, I won't walk into yours by mistake."

Harry joined in the laughter and before long so did Daphne.

"Honestly, Sirius, you should leave them alone," Tonks huffed.

"Yes, mother. Speaking of which, where is dear old Mum?"

"Hermione took her down and burned her several years ago," Harry said proudly.

"Well, one can only take being called a 'filthy Mudblood' so many times before it starts to grate on one's nerves."

Sirius threw his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Sorry I missed that. I believe that's two that I owe you now."

'_If you don't calm down, wolf, I swear I'll have Hermione double the damn dose of Wolfsbane in the potion. We're just eating, what is your problem?'_

'_You should keep them apart. I don't like them together.'_

'_Sirius and Hermione aren't together. Even if they were, they could be a good match, no matter how much you might dislike the girl.'_

The wolf gave a loud growl and Remus turned his head away. Tonks was sitting beside him with her head suddenly on his shoulder and her fingers trailing up his arm while she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Just then, a small owl swooped into the room and dropped a letter on Harry's lap before flying around in dizzying circles and leaving.

"The Weasley's are coming over soon," Harry said after reading the letter. "Looks like maybe next week is the earliest they can make it for your surprise welcome home party."

Sirius groaned and Hermione chuckled. "They just want to say hello. Be a man, you can handle it," she chided teasingly.

"You're right. But I swear if one of the twins tries to turn me into anything, I'll string them both up by their…" His mouth was suddenly covered by Hermione's hand and he rolled his eyes. She smirked at him, but soon squealed when his hands shot out and began tickling her.

'_Nothing there?'_ the wolf growled menacingly.

'_They're just playing around.'_

'_It is called 'foreplay' human and I don't like it in the least. Either you do something about it now, or I will. I do __**not **__like them together!'_

'_What the hell is your problem?' _Remus growled back; the unusual sound gaining the attention of those in the room. It was Hermione's eye locked on his that did him in and he stormed from the room angrily.

He found himself in the library, once again arguing with the wolf and not understanding the problem. His hair was mussed from the constant abuse by his hands and he was sure there was a groove in the floor where he had been pacing.

'_You left them alone?!'_

'_They're adults! They don't need a babysitter!' _Remus responded exasperatedly.

'_If she so much as touches him…'_

'_You'll do what?! Growl at her? What right do you have to say what she can or can't do, or who she can do it with. Get it through your head, wolf, your opinions of Hermione do not matter!'_

'_My opinion matters more than you realize!'_ he howled back at Remus.

'_Your opinion doesn't matter! Whether they remain friends or become more is of no consequence to us!' _Remus reprimanded.

'_Then why were you so upset when you saw them in the doorway? They looked rather cozy until you interrupted them.' _There was an arrogance in the wolf's tone that Remus didn't like, it angered him suddenly and he stopped by the table once more.

'_It doesn't matter to me if they're fucking like rabbits on the table we just left, right in front of everyone!'_

'_You stupid human!' _Moony roared. The contents on the table went flying across the room, followed quickly by the table itself. '_It all matters, you fool! Everything she does matters!'_

The nick-knacks lining the mantel were next, thrown angrily at the wall and shattering sharply. The door burst open and Sirius stormed in, followed closely by Tonks and Hermione.

"My gods, Remus, what has gotten into you?!" Tonks screamed as she stormed from the room in disgust.

'_Damn woman! Who the hell does she think she is?!'_ The wolf snarled only seconds before the chair flew against the wall.

'_My wife! Now get a grip before they have us locked up for insanity!'_

Remus' anger matched that of the wolf's and they both knew things were escalating too far out of their control, but neither was willing to back down from the other.

Hermione stood in the doorway watching. She didn't care about the objects that were flying around and crashing with such ominous sounds, nor did she care about Tonks walking out, or the angry and worried expression Sirius wore. All she cared about were the eyes she could see flashing from amber to blue and back again. His words from earlier spun through her head and somehow she knew what she had to do.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione walked cautiously closer to the conflicted man with apparently superhuman strength and the anger to match.

"Hermione, get back here! That's not Remus! What are you doing?" Sirius hissed as he grabbed her arm, knowing exactly what was happening to his friend, but not knowing why. He did know, however, that Hermione was certainly going to do something unknowingly stupid.

She jerked her arm from his grasp and walked closer to Remus, forcing him to look directly at her.

"I think," she started, before pushing the authority into her voice and trying again. "I think you should both calm down."

Remus continued to look at her, but it was Moony she saw in his eyes. "Moony, please," she pleaded, "let him be. What has he done wrong?"

He walked closer to her, ignoring the shocked look on Sirius' face when he grabbed her by the arms. Only the sound of Sirius slowly saying, "Moony?" broke his gaze from his mate.

He eyes bore into Sirius and grinned maliciously. "Hello, Padfoot, my old friend. Stay away from my mate, or you will regret it." Then his eyes were blue again and Remus dropped Hermione's arms as though they had burned him and stared at her in shock.

"Excuse me," he murmured, before rushing out of the room.

"Hermione, what exactly just happened here? You knew…I mean, you know the difference…I mean, hell Hermione, what just happened?"

Hermione sighed heavily before turning from the door and looking at Sirius, her shaking hands the only sign that she was upset. "Yes, I know the difference between them, Sirius. I also think I know a bit about what Remus is going through."

"He's fighting the wolf again," Sirius said matter-of-factly and she nodded. "You're not scared of the wolf?"

"No, I'm not scared."

"It's happened before, hasn't it? With you? What did he mean about his mate?" he asked curiously, wondering when exactly he had gotten too close to Tonks and why the wolf would see him as a threat.

"It's only happened once. What about with you?"

Sirius settled himself into the sofa, motioning for Hermione to do the same. "I saw it for the first time in our seventh year. It seems the wolf didn't like Lily once she and James became a couple." He shrugged his shoulders and continued, "we never knew why, but there were a few times he'd almost go after her or something. It became worse when we all came back from holiday. Then, one day in our dorm room, Remus started acting really strange and before we knew what was happening, this entirely new voice spoke to us. It was Moony, and he explained the difference between them to me and James. When we asked why he didn't like her, Remus took over again and we didn't get the answer. Remus didn't even remember the conversation we had just had and swore to James that he had no problems with Lily. It seemed true enough, since Remus and Lily were friends long before she became James' girl, but that's why he didn't go to their wedding. Only he and I were invited, but he said he better not attend in case something happened." Sirius looked up at her sadly, "Remus and James started to drift away after that. He'd come over and everything would be fine, then he'd start acting a bit different and suddenly leave. His visits became a little farther apart…and then a little farther, until he hardly came over at all. I guess that's why I thought that he, you know…" he broke off, shrugging his shoulders again and refusing to meet Hermione's eyes.

"That's why you thought he was the spy," Hermione finished for him, gently taking his hand for support. "It makes sense, Sirius. But it's been years, decades even, and there's nothing for you to be ashamed about now."

"I guess you're right." He slowly took a deep, emotional breath and let it out. "I'm going to check on Remus and head to bed soon. Will you be alright? Do you know what he meant about his mate?"

"Not exactly," she said, shaking her head and chewing on her bottom lip, "but I intend to find out very soon."

"Maybe you should give Remus some space for awhile. You know, just until everything settles back down."

"I think you're right. Thank you, for talking to me and everything," she said shyly.

"Anytime, love."

"Dora, are you in here?" Remus called from the doorway.

"I'm in the shower, Remus, but unless you've finished with your temper tantrum I don't want you to come in here."

Remus hung his head in shame and took a despairing breath. He knew his wife didn't fully understand what he went through with his condition, but he had hoped that if the situation ever presented itself, she would at least try to be understanding. This was exactly why he had pushed her away for so long. Being a werewolf wasn't only about having a bit of rough sex a few days before turning into a monster once a month, but that seemed to be the only part she cared about. Lately, however, it wasn't enough for either of them. He still couldn't understand why she had wanted him in the first place, but when they were alone, she made it glaringly obvious she was disappointed in him.

There were many dynamics to his 'character' that he had lied to himself about for entirely too long. Somehow, he had convinced himself that if things should go wrong, Dora would understand and be there for him. Apparently he had been wrong, especially if she was going to continue to call his struggle with the beast a 'temper tantrum' and treat him like a misbehaving child every time it occurred, which was increasingly often. He loved his wife, wanted to give her the children she so desperately craved, but he knew he was fast becoming someone who just wasn't enough for her. Not being able to give her said children was yet another failure on his part. They had tried, for years now they had tried and failed, but lately she wasn't willing to even discuss it…let alone try more.

There was also Hermione to consider. Things were getting dangerous where she was concerned and he was actually starting to fear for her. It was like Lily all over again, only with different feelings of anger and control. He knew deep down that in order to keep her safe, he'd have to stay away from her permanently. Perhaps it was time for him and his wife to move out. Remus felt anger surge through him like never before, but before the wolf could speak, the door suddenly opened. Not giving the wolf time to react, he went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him as he slid slowly to the floor; head in his hands and the contemplation of his life in his thoughts.

The burning sensation was flowing through him hours later and he found himself unable to sleep once again. Instead of interrupting his sleeping wife for the second night in a row, he crawled out of bed, donned his pajama bottoms, and headed to the kitchen. He was thankful this time for the lack of smells and such indicating that Hermione might still be awake.

As he sleepily stumbled into the kitchen, his gaze was brought up sharp by the sound of something metal clattering to the floor. Then he realized his mistake. There, in front of him was Hermione, clad only in a bathrobe with a towel around her hair and her face flushed slightly. He felt the wolf welling up inside of him, just as desperate to take control as he was to keep it for himself. Before he could stop her, Hermione took her hair down, allowing the wet curls to fall down her back as she walked over to him. She licked her lips in the most seductive way he'd ever seen and the wolf growled at her close proximity.

"Her…Hermione, I'm sorry, but I need you to leave," his strained voice asked with desperation while he clutched the doorframe like a lifeline.

"No, Remus, I'm not leaving." Her voice was ethereal, but most shocking of all were her next words. "I want to speak to Moony."

He gasped in horror at her words. She wanted what?!

"Hermione, you have no idea…" he started, only to have her cut him off.

"Remus, I know exactly what I'm doing. I promise everything will be alright." Suddenly his eyes were flashing from blue to amber and back again. "Come on out, Moony. Talk to me," she encouraged and smiled triumphantly when his eyes stayed amber and he stared at her with a new confidence. He stood up, allowing his entire posture to stretch with arrogance as the wolf took control of the body.

"Hello, mate. I didn't think I'd be talking to you again so soon."

She shivered at his hoarse voice and realized that Remus' would have the same effect on her, if he only wished to seduce her. "I've been doing some reading tonight, but I've yet to find anything concrete on this subject."

His chuckle irritated her slightly, but his intelligent words filled her with a knowledge she had never expected to gain. "You wouldn't have found anything about this in a book, Hermione. We wolves are only as intelligent as the humans in which we reside. I was very fortunate to find such a human, but most, like my sire for instance, are not so lucky. Therefore, we have very little use for the written word where it pertains to us specifically."

"Utterly amazing," she said wide-eyed, walking back to lean against the counter. "Honestly, I should be terrified of you, but I find myself intrigued more than anything."

"You wouldn't be afraid of me, we belong to each other. But I don't think intrigue is the only thing you feel for me, is it?" he asked with a smirk, stalking closer to her until his body was only feet in front of her own. His hand came up and brushed a wet curl from her face. "I have an excellent sense of smell, mate, and I assure you that intrigue is not the only thing you feel for me."

She watched him nervously as he stepped closer. He looked into her eyes and she could swear he was looking into her soul. When he gently cupped her cheek with Remus' hand, she timidly asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he rasped, allowing his gravelly voice to wash over her and his smile to become even more arrogant, "that you find yourself aroused by me. You desire me, do you not?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said haughtily, trying to turn her face from his as she clutched the robe tightly to her chest.

He growled low in his throat, then pinned her against the counter with his body. The pad of his thumb stroked her lips and her eyes fluttered closed despite her earlier declaration. Her hands came to rest on his arms and she sighed in pleasure. When his other hand slid down her naked thigh and drew her leg up around his waist, she pushed herself against his erection and silently begged for more.

"I thought you didn't want me," he murmured, his lips coming to rest on her neck and gently brushing along her pulse as his hand tangled in her hair.

"I…I think I was wrong," she responded, tilting her neck to allow him better access.

Her hands slid from his biceps to his shoulders, then around his neck to hold him close to her. "I told you I was only going to warn you once. Do you want me, my beautiful mate? Do you wish for me to show you what I can do?" His lips skimmed her hot flesh and she burned even hotter for him. When he pulled her head the other direction by her hair and nuzzled her neck she whimpered at his touch, knees weak and her body singing its' pent up need for release.

"Yes," she breathed in forgotten answer.

"I'm going to make you mine," he growled softly.

Both hands slid down her body to cup her arse and draw her closer. She moaned and pushed against his erection, making his body burn to possess her. He lifted her up onto the counter and stayed between her legs, his lips skimming her neck, shoulders, and collar bone. Her robe slid away from her thighs and she forgot to breathe when his hands slid down to her bare legs and splayed across her heated flesh. Fire danced through her veins when his lips caught hers and he kissed her possessively; showing without words exactly who she belonged to.

She held him to her tightly, ravishing his mouth with the same vigor he was showing hers. Within moments, her hands began roaming his lithe body; touching Remus in ways she thought she'd never be able to. Her fingers trailed around his chest and when they skimmed his hardened nipples and he moaned, she reveled in her feminine power. Right or wrong be damned, she wanted this man, this conundrum of a man, more than she ever wanted anything before in her life. His fingers slid up her thighs and untied her robe, pushing it away with roughened hands as he broke the kiss and looked down on at her flushed body.

"So beautiful, mate. So young and eager," he rasped, lowering his head and flicking his tongue over her nipple. Hermione should have been insulted, but instead she gasped in pleasure, drawing his head in closer as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

"Oh gods," she moaned. Her back arched into him and she swore she could already feel him inside her. When his hand took her other breast, testing its weight, she moaned again and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"So responsive to my touch," he growled against her.

"Need you…want you so much," she moaned, rubbing her body against his with frustrated intensity.

"Yes, you do. I can smell your desire," he said, bringing his lips slowly up her neck, "and it excites me."

She screeched and bucked when his fingers suddenly rubbed her clit. He grinned at her and whispered roughly, "Must be quiet, mate. We wouldn't want anyone to hear you, now would we?"

Biting her lip, her hips bucked again when he slid a finger inside her wet center. "Yes, that's it, witch. I want you to come for me. Show me how much you want my cock." Another finger slid inside of her and his thumb rubbed against her clit, slowly at first, then increasing in intensity when he lowered his lips to her nipple again. When he sucked the hard bud into his mouth and stroked her clit again, she bit down on his shoulder as her body shook with the most intense orgasm of her life.

"Beautiful," he murmured, gently pushing her back and looking into her flushed face.

Her trembling hands slid down his chest, running along the taunt muscles and light colored hair, along the scars she had always wanted to touch, until they stopped at the waistband of his pants. As quickly as she could, she untied his pants and pushed them down his slim hips, reveling in his moan and the way he threw his head back when her fingers grazed his large erection.

"My gods, where have you been hiding this?" she asked in amazement.

He chuckled at her softly, then grabbed her hands and placed the back on his shoulders. His own slid to her hips and jerked her forward, settling her on the edge of the counter. "Do you want me?" he growled with restraint. "Do you want my hard cock pounding inside of you as I make you mine?"

The fingers gliding across her soaked pussy drew a moan from her throat and she tightened her legs around him, pulling him even closer and silently begging him to take her. When he looked at her without moving, she lifted her eyes to his in confusion.

"Say it, mate!" he demanded. "Tell me what you want!"

"I want you! Gods I want you so bad."

He continued to watch her, waiting for something she wasn't sure of. Then she knew, just as she knew the sun would rise in the morning, she knew what she had to say and, surprising herself, she softly whispered, "Make me yours."

A loud growl rumbled deep in his chest and in one swift movement, he thrust himself deep inside her waiting heat, making her bite down on his shoulder once more to stifle her scream of surprised pain and pleasure. Her body encased him like a hot, wet glove and he moaned in pleasure, still not moving until she slowly relaxed around him.

"Made for me," he rasped into her ear.

She squirmed around, tightening her inner muscles and trying to achieve friction even with the inability to move her own hips. His hoarse chuckle sent new waves of desire coursing through her body and she moaned loudly when he slowly began to move inside of her.

"Wanted you for so long," he hissed between his teeth, rocking his body slowly back and forth into hers.

Her arms wound around his neck and her legs held him tightly. She breathed in the scent of the wolf and the man, reveled in the feel of his naked body so entwined with hers, and felt all the heat in her body pulling to her middle. Tight coils begged to be released and she could swear something was crawling under her skin. The feeling was unnerving, but only made her beg for her own release more.

Unable to hold back any longer, he increased the pace, slamming into her body with a force she couldn't have imagined possible.

"Please," she begged, "oh gods please!"

His hands were all over her; grabbing her breasts, her thighs, around her back holding her to him while he ravaged her nipples with his teeth. He was directly in front of her, but it felt like he as all around her, like he was part of her. Soon, his hands swept back to her hips, holding her steady as he pounded into her willing body. She could hear his breath become faster and her heart was once again racing with his.

"You must come for me, mate!" he rasped hungrily, the need and desire in his voice matched her own. "Come for me while I make you mine forever."

His words made no sense and she simply did not care. All that mattered to her now was the feeling of him thrusting inside of her over and over and when his thumb ghosted over her clit, she forgot to breath. "That's it!" he snarled uncontrollably, "come for me!"

And she did. His hand covered her mouth as the scream escaped and her eyes rolled back in her head. Fireworks exploded before her eyes and her entire body began to shake with release. A lightening hot burn erupted from her shoulder, but she couldn't even move her head to look as wave upon wave of orgasm washed over her before she went limp. Somewhere from a great distance, she heard him howl and felt as his own body contract before he spilled his seed inside her body and he fell against her.

Slowly coming back to consciousness, she eased her hold around his neck and looked down at him. What she saw both shocked her to her very core and made her feel cherished and protected all at the same time. Moony was slowly licking a small wound on her shoulder and she watched in fascination as the blood vanished, followed by a gentle tingling sensation. The wound soon disappeared and was replaced by a small scar. Hermione gasped when saw the ancient rune on her flushed skin. "Eternity," it read, but only to those that knew of the ancient language.

He looked up at her and grinned wolfishly. "Now," he rasped, "you truly belong to me."

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

"I have marked you as mate, just as you asked me to do. You will have none, but me, and I shall have no one other than you."

Intense anger swept through her and she roughly pushed him away. "And your wife," she spat.

He growled fiercely. "She is NOT my wife! I have told you, he took her without my consent and he has been most unhappy since. YOU are our mate and it is you that we need!"

His voice held no malice, only anger, and she shivered slightly when he stepped back to her and gently stroked her shoulder. "We belong to each other, you and I, and it is up to you to make sure the human sees that."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What do you want me to do?"

The grin that crossed his face was triumphant and full of pride. "Nothing other than what you have been doing. The human wants you, has for some time now, but he has refused to allow himself to act on such things. He'll push you away and it will be your job to stay put. Do not allow him to leave the house permanently and do not allow him to ignore you…the rest will work itself out with my help."


	3. Hidden Treasure

Remus stood in shock and disbelief. Something was wrong and he actually feared for his own sanity. He stood there, in the all too familiar kitchen, wondering what in the hell had just happened to him. Only moments ago, he had left his room; leaving his fully clothed wife, with whom he had not had sex with in quite a while, in their bed. Now, however, he was standing in the kitchen he vaguely remembered entering and it reeked of recent sex. The scent filled his nostrils and flowed through his body like an aphrodisiac, causing him to harden instantly. Whoever had been in here, he mused, smelled like heaven.

He quickly turned around and walked upstairs, trying desperately to shake off the strangeness of the situation. Assuming a cold shower would help his 'problem', he made his way to the bathroom in the hallway, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize the door was shut and the room occupied. He absentmindedly turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Remus!" she hissed, making him jerk his head up and his eyes widen. He noticed she stared at his eyes, but then he noticed the rest of her--all of her.

Damn it, if he wasn't rock hard before, he certainly was now! Hermione stood at the counter, wrapped in nothing but a towel as she used a second one to dry her hair. She grinned up at him while he tried to stammer an apology.

"It's quite alright, Remus, you just startled me is all. I thought everyone else was asleep and when I spilled tea all over myself, I had to take another shower," she lied. It's not like she could actually come right out and say, 'I fucked your wolf and had to take a shower so you couldn't smell yourself on me.' That would seem a bit strange, she thought.

He blushed and she smiled at the sweetness of it. "Um, yea, I couldn't sleep so I thought a shower would help. I…I'll just leave now."

"Don't be silly," she chided. She grinned at him mischievously, eyes raking across his naked chest as she licked her lips and replied sweetly, "I won't look."

"Hermione, I hardly think that's appropriate," he said in shock.

Her laughter filled his ears as the scent of her shower filled his nostrils, making them flare in response and he tried to hide his erection. Being attracted to another woman was not what he wanted, especially if it was Hermione--the one the wolf hated.

'_Smell her. She doesn't even use the perfumes that other witches bother themselves with. She's just natural. Can you smell her?'_

He bit back his sharp reply and watched as Hermione clutched her towel and walked up to him. "It's all yours," she said coyly, and if he wasn't so aroused he would have missed the unintentional innuendo as he stared at the drops of water across her shoulders. A small scar that he had never seen was on her shoulder, but instead of looking at it, he closed his eyes and waited for her to slip past him. When her hip grazed his, he hoped she didn't hear his sharp intake of breath. Whatever was going on, or not going on, between them, he knew he had to stay away from her. The thought was solidified the second his hand almost reached out to wrap around her waist. His unexplained thoughts and actions were simply insane.

He turned on the shower and stepped out of his pants, wondering briefly why he didn't feel right. It reminded him of the days when he had went underground with the other werewolves and a quick _Scourgify _was all he could manage to clean himself at times. Nothing felt quite like a shower though, no matter how cold it needed to be.

His hands were braced against the wall as the freezing water poured over his body, eliciting chill bumps, but having no other effect otherwise. He was still rock hard after the smell in the kitchen, and taking a shower after Hermione wasn't helping.

'_Do you smell her soap? Can you imagine the way she must look while she bathes her young body? Suds sliding down between her breasts, along her flat stomach, and down…'_

'_SHUT UP! Just shut up!'_

'_Angry, human? I was just asking a question. It's not as though you can hide things from me.'_

'_If you hate her so much, why do you taunt me with her? Why can't you just leave it alone?'_

A chuckle was his only response and he slammed the water off and quickly dried himself, before going back to his room and crawling in bed with his wife. His wife…the woman he loved, wanted, and the only one he needed. Somewhere deep down he heard the wolf laugh at him, mocking him.

Hermione looked up sharply at the sound of banging coming from across the table only to laugh out loud at what she saw. Remus, in his frustration, had suddenly taken to banging his head on the table.

"I have a headache potion in my room you might be able to use later," she laughed.

His eyes snapped up to hers at the mention of her room, but then he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just really frustrated."

"We've only just really started, Remus. Surely you're not that frustrated already." Her smile slipped a little as she looked at him questioningly.

He assessed her for a moment before replying. "No, it's not just this. Sorry, I really shouldn't bring other things in here. We're working for a good cause…I hope, and I need to concentrate."

"Yes, you do. A lot could go wrong with what we're planning and you need to stay focused. But I'm here if you want to talk about other things."

"Thanks," he murmured, "but I'll be fine." He couldn't exactly tell her that she was driving him crazy; that would be rude. More rude would be telling her that he actually wanted to take her, right there on this very table, vows and wolf be damned, and the guilt was eating at him. "I think Dora and I will be moving out soon," he said suddenly.

"What?! Why?"

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "It's just not working here. I don't know what the problem is for sure, but I think it would be best if we got our own place."

Hermione's heart beat out of her chest and she was certain her face was showing her feelings. She tried to keep her face blank and listen to him, knowing that this is what Moony was trying to tell her last night. "Have you talked to Sirius about this? He'll be devastated if you leave." Quietly she added, "We all will be."

His eyes narrowed momentarily before he responded. "No, I've not even told Dora yet. I just don't know what she wants, I guess I never have. All I know is that right now, something's not working. She blames the fact that we haven't had kids on me as well." Remus was shocked at his own admission. He had just bared his heart to her and had no idea why. She was the one person he wanted to keep at arms length and yet, here he was, spilling his inner most thoughts to her.

"Oh honestly, Remus," she said, surprising him with her anger. "You cannot be serious about this. You're leaving everyone you love, everyone who loves you, because your wife isn't happy? She's never happy, Remus, she never has been, and it has nothing to do with you. Sirius was right, you both only pretend to be happy and everyone can see that but you."

Anger bubbled inside of him. Why her? It was bad enough he had to spend so much time with her, but now she was going to insult him as well? "Had I wanted to be insulted, Hermione, I doubt I could have found someone more willing to do the job," he spat, and then watched as her face fell.

She stood up and walked around the table to him, crouching down so that she was only a bit shorter than him. "I'm truly sorry, Remus. Insulting you was never my intention," she said, leaning over to cup his cheeks. "But _you_ deserve better. I hate seeing you so unhappy, but the thought of not seeing you at all is even worse. You are the one that holds us all together, Remus. You keep the boys in line and you're always there for me and even Daphne as of late. I guess I've just come to rely on you and when you said you were leaving, I overreacted. I shouldn't have. You'll do what's best; you always do."

His gaze softened as he looked at her and then he gently brushed a lock of hair from her face. Her hands slid down his cheeks to his neck and settled on his chest. They stared at each other intently until their close proximity registered and they pulled apart. "Thank you for that, Hermione," he said softly.

Both pulled books closer to them, ignoring the other as they studied tombs and tombs of books about lost souls and such. Each made notes where they saw fit and it would be up to her to compile the list of notes and see what else could be done with the veil. Sirius coming back was miraculous enough, but if they could free all the souls, she firmly believed it would help him to heal. She knew his drinking binges had little to do with women and a significant amount to do with realizing he had survived the veil when many others had not. Survivor's guilt. Finding an in-depth section, she continued to take notes, overlooking Remus' restless movements that is, until he spoke to her…his voice raspy.

"I want you," he said simply, making her smile as she continued to look at her book. He stood up and walked over to her. "I want to throw you on top of this table and fuck your delicious body until you can no longer walk," he rasped, sending shivers along her skin as she continued to smile and look at her book. Soon, his fingers brushed her neck as he moved her hair out of the way and lowered his mouth to her skin. Growling softly at her, he continued, "I want to taste you, mate. Lick your enchanting little body until you scream my name." And it could happen; they had been left alone in the house for hours, with many hours left to go. "I smell your desire and yet you continue to toy with me."

She gasped when he jerked her head back and ravished her mouth with his own, slowly drawing her up to stand before him. "I cannot be ignored," he said hungrily. Her whimper was lost in his mouth when his tongue attacked hers.

"You want me?" she asked innocently, pushing him back slowly until his knees hit the sofa and he sat down, pulling her on top of him.

"Always," he murmured against her neck. "I find I can't get enough of you."

"Mmmm," she moaned, concentrating on the voice and not the fact that it was Remus' neck she was slipping her arms around as she straddled him. His hands skimmed up her hips, his lips never leaving her tender flesh as he slowly raised her shirt over her ribs and then her breasts. His fingers feathered against her hot skin and she ground herself into his erection.

"My perfect mate," he growled, throwing her shirt to the side and lowering his head to her mark. He licked her gently, and then slowly made his way to her breasts, tearing her bra from her body. His teeth grazed her flesh and she threw her head back in ecstasy, moaning and begging for more. When his arm wrapped around her and pulled her even closer to him, she felt her knickers soaking through to her jeans. She held his head close to her, thankful for the gift Moony was giving her and trying desperately not to hate herself for taking advantage of the man.

"He wants you as well, mate, and before this is over, you will have us both," he said, his voice rough as he read her mood and quickly flipped her over onto her back. His lips blazed a trail down her stomach and his hands quickly undid the snap of her pants. He looked at her hungrily and she felt bare to her very core. The fabric slid down her hips and legs, landing on the floor with her shirt and leaving her naked before him. Rough hands skimmed her calf muscles, then her thighs. He gently parted her legs and knelt between them, his tongue following the path his hands had just taken.

Her body shuddered at his gentle touch and when he lifted her leg to lay on his shoulder, her eyes met his and held. He held her gaze even when his tongue skimmed her calf and his hands splayed once more along her thigh, holding her close and making her entire body flush with desire while her hands grabbed the cushion tightly. When his finger grazed her curls and softly pinched her clit, he held her gaze, keeping her a prisoner of her own yearnings. Her hips bucked slightly and she whimpered in need when his finger slowly slid inside of her. Amber eyes bored into her very heart. Another finger slid in her tight heat and he moved them slowly in and out of her, watching in awe as she writhed beneath him. His thumb brushed her clit…once, twice…desire and need tightening the coils of her body until she thought she would explode. One more brush of his thumb, amber eyes holding her own, and she was gone. Her body convulsed, tightening around his fingers as she threw her head back and screamed his name in ecstasy.

When she regained her senses, he was standing before her naked. For the first time, she saw the man in all his glorious nudity and was dumbstruck. Lithe and strong muscles rippled gently under pale and scarred flesh. His legs were lean and with Moony in control, he brimmed with confidence and a touch of arrogance. When she looked at his erection, she was taken aback by the sheer beauty and amazed that her body could accommodate him. Simply put, Remus Lupin was the sexiest man she had ever seen.

Rising up, she stroked his erection with her fingers, reveling in the way his body shivered at her touch. Her touch was soft, but sure. Flicking her tongue over the tip of his cock, she slowly lapped the liquid away before taking him into her hot mouth. He moaned loudly, cupping her head in his hands and pulling her to him, directing her movements as she sucked his thick cock with abandon.

"Gods yes!" he growled, watching as her head bobbed up and down and the most amazing sensations flooded his body. When her free hand cupped his balls gently, his growl grew louder. "Stop," he hissed, pulling her head back and looking into her confused face. "If you continue that wonderful display, this will be over much too soon. Do not forget, my animal tendencies are very strong."

She smirked up at him, taunting him for his lack of control. Quickly, he pushed her down on the sofa and covered her body with his own. "Ah, my beautiful mate, do you think this is nothing more than a bit of harmless fun?" he asked, licking and nipping her pulse point while she shook her head in response. "I wasn't lying when I said you were mine. Mine to do with as I please," he murmured against her breast, suckling her nipple and making her cry out in pleasure, "Whenever I please."

He spread her legs and slid between them, the tip of his cock brushing against her wet skin before slowly sliding inside of her. The torture was maddening bliss and she wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him forward to take her completely.

Without hesitation, he complied, thrusting his hips forward and sheathing himself in her tight passage. "Mine," he moaned softly against her ear. Her arms came around his neck and she met his thrusts with her own. Time seemed to stop and they moved with each other slowly at first, teasingly, then with an urgency neither could deny. "Fuck," he hissed, one hand resting by her head and the other cupping her breast roughly as he licked and suckled its' twin. "So perfect," he moaned, thrusting faster and faster. His head came up to hers and his hand skimmed down to her hip, holding her still as he pounded into her relentlessly.

Hermione felt the fire burning within her body, felt the waves of desire wash over her and pool in her center as every muscle tightened. All feelings were overshadowed by her need for the wolf above her and once again, their eyes met and held.

His voice was gravelly and rough as sandpaper when he spoke, but his intention was clear. "I want to watch as you come undone beneath me. I want to see your beautiful face flush from the pleasure I give you. I want to know that you realize it's my cock inside your willing body and no one else's. And I want you to realize that no one but me will ever fuck you like this ever again."

His possessiveness should have angered her, but instead she found herself responding to his words with wantonness. And then…the fireworks exploded, the coils snapped, and the heat flew around her body; engulfing her tight muscles as they strained against each other and his thrusts continued. "Come for me, mate, show me that it's me you'll think of every night." And she did. Eyes locked, she screamed his name as her second orgasm rocked every inch of her body and her muscles pulled him inside her with a vise-like grip, milking the seed from his body. He threw his head back and his sudden howl surprised her, but sent her body shaking and convulsing in another strong orgasm that followed right behind the last.

He collapsed on top of her, both shaking and weak and neither wanting to move from their tight embrace.

"My gods, you're amazing," she breathed when she finally came to her senses.

His light chuckle met her ears and she looked over at him, his head cradled beside her neck as his tongue lightly traced her mark. "The wolf is only as intelligent as the man and only as _gifted _as well," he said, making her laugh at his response as she held him to her.

"I never expected to find my mate," he said after a moment, "and I'm honored to know that you are her."

"Thank you," she said softly.

He leaned up on his elbows then; his limp cock fell from her body as he lightly traced her face, neck, and breasts. "The full moon comes soon."

A sad smile graced his face and it confused her. "I thought that would make you happy. The one night a month you're allowed to be…free."

"I could be free at any time, just as I am now, if the human would only accept me, accept what he is."

"He's scared you'll hurt someone he loves," she said softly.

"I won't hurt anyone unless they give me reason to, especially now that I found the one that completes me."

She smiled at what he said, slowly coming to realize what the wolf was really about. Was it possible the 'monster' wasn't a really a monster after all?

He nuzzled her neck once more, licking her scar and whimpering lightly. "What is it?" she asked concerned, pulling him up so she could see the pained expression on his face. "What's wrong? Tell me."

For the first time, he refused to meet her eyes. "You make a potion," he finally said, "that hurts me. The human takes it, but it's me that it hurts. The first couple of days are bearable, but then the pain becomes worse. It weakens me, dulls me, and I become a shell of myself."

Actual guilt tore through Hermione's heart as she looked at him. "Don't feel guilty, mate, you didn't know."

Then she smiled at him, gently stroking his scarred cheek. "No, I didn't know, but I do now. I won't hurt you, love, not any more. As long as you promise not to hurt Remus."

Gratitude flashed through his eyes and he slowly nodded his head. "The transformations can be relatively painless. I will see to it."

She pulled his head down and kissed him then, lovingly, longingly. He drew back and stood up, bringing her up with him as well. "You must get dressed; I can't hold him off much longer. The happier I am with you, the less I can resist his control. He doesn't know, Hermione, he doesn't understand what is at stake."

She shivered at his voice, loving the way it washed over her, caressed her like his hands had mere moments ago. "What doesn't he understand?"

"Without you, my beautiful mate," he rasped, his hand cupping her cheek in a loving manner, "we will slowly die. It happens to us all at some point if we can't find our mate, so he must accept you as well. He was raised with humans, by humans, so he doesn't understand these things. We must make him accept you or you will be burying our body, instead of bearing our children."

"Children? But Remus said it was his fault they couldn't have children."

"Ah, he does not understand many things and that is only what that woman told him, but it is not the truth. It is I who chooses our mate and it is I who allows conception. That woman," he spat, "will never bear our children. That pleasure is yours alone."

"Amazing," she sighed, reveling in the knowledge she was gaining from the wolf before her.

"You must hurry," he said urgently.

She put her clothes back on, smiling slightly when she noticed him tucking her knickers into his pocket. "Better not let her see those," she chuckled, laughing when he growled at her retreating back.


	4. Full Moon Mistress

Tonks leaned against the shelf and watched closely as her husband spoke in hushed tones with Hermione. They had been doing that a lot lately and it was really starting to unnerve her. She trusted Remus, as much as a wife could trust a husband, but she could tell their relationship was different than it used to be. Auror duties had kept her away from home more than usual, but that didn't mean she wasn't paying attention to the goings on around the house. Harry seemed utterly happy and his training was soaring because of it. Sirius was distant with everyone, so when he snapped at her repeatedly, she didn't take it personally. Hermione had always gotten on her nerves, but now she was very curious to know what the young know-it-all had been researching with her husband and why no one was talking about it.

That should be her first step, she mused. She'd find out what they were doing and then she'd find out exactly how close the young chit was trying to get with her husband. She saw the way Hermione leaned over him and always touched him in some way. Her only comfort was noticing the times when Remus pulled away from her, an angry look crossing his scarred face. And those scars…she used to find them appealing, dangerous even, but now they were just there. Remus would be such a handsome man if it wasn't for the scars that littered his body. Of course, the monster that brought the scars also brings her three nights of glorious sex each month. Her husband was rough, taking her with a reckless abandon that left her sore the next day and craving more. The rest of the month, she thought as she rolled her eyes, he was sweet and gentle, kind and caring, and it made her sick.

Her eyes stayed on the two as she quietly sipped her tea. Only minutes before, she had been sitting on the sofa with her husband, listening to him talk of something to do with werewolf rights and such that really didn't matter to her in the least. Instead of listening, she was subtly trying to overhear what Harry was saying to Sirius about the Kenmare Kestrels. Remus was a special case when it came to werewolves. He was hired to head a research department and given rights that most were not, so why was it supposed to matter to her what happened to wolves she didn't even know? Eventually, when she had listened enough to be considered polite, she excused herself for tea. That had been happening frequently the last few days, Remus for whatever reason, had decided to stay close to her and it was beginning to grate on her nerves. She wanted a child, period. Since she was married, one would think her husband would have been able to supply her with said offspring by now. That alone made her see him in a different light than she had a year ago. When one coupled that with his recent mood swings, he was becoming unbearable to live with. Not to mention his feeble attempts of explaining himself. He had sworn he couldn't remember certain events and she found the whole conversation ludicrous. When he mentioned something about the wolf, she laughed right in his face and walked away.

Hermione leaned close to Remus, her hand coming to rest on his arm as they shared something exciting on a piece of parchment held between them. Tonks noticed the empty goblet on the table and decided that she would have her husband tonight, before he went to the cellar for his transformation. How dare he deny her the last two nights? And whatever was growing between he and Hermione, she would see to it that it stopped, immediately. He may not be much, but he was hers, and she didn't share…period.

Hermione was walking past the room Remus shared with Tonks. She had spent a very nervous day thinking about his transformation to come that night. Luckily, Remus hadn't noticed the small amount of sugar she had been adding to his Wolfsbane Potion, but Moony had, and he had shown his appreciation on numerous delicious occasions. Her hand raised to the door when she heard his angry voice, hoping she hadn't put Tonks in danger with her reluctance to hurt Moony. Not able to help herself though, she listened closely instead of interrupting.

"What's the matter, Dora? You can't handle it? You only want me three days a month so why should we even bother at all? In fact, I believe we have more problems then either one of us thought."

"Remus, don't walk away from me. You like to screw me this time of the month, you've said so yourself, but now you're unwilling to even touch me? Where are you going? Get your arse back here!" Tonks hissed.

"I am going to lock myself in a cage like a good little puppy. I'm a monster, remember?"

Hermione backed away suddenly when the door swung open and Remus walked through. He slammed it shut behind him and then grinned. "I smell you," he said huskily, making her smile despite herself.

He turned toward her and gently ran his finger along her cheek, his amber eyes raking her face in fascination. "Hello, mate," he rasped and both were so absorbed in the other that neither noticed the shadow that stopped down the hall.

"Wh…what was that all about?" she asked, slightly angry and jealous now that she realized Moony had been with Tonks and that Tonks had wanted him.

"The human's wife thinks it's fun to play with a wolf when the full moon draws near," he said vaguely.

"You mean you and she…?"

"Of course not," he growled angrily, before taking a deep breath and calming down. "Do you think I would allow him to touch her after what you and I have shared the last few days? Did you not believe me when I said we belong only to each other?"

A small grin touched her lips and he slowly bent his head and kissed her. "You better go now, someone's coming."

She looked around the hallway confused. All the doors remained closed and the occupants of the house appeared to be nestled somewhere else. Even the portraits themselves were quiet. "No one is coming."

He pushed her away gently before turning to walk quickly in the other direction. From the shadows, she saw Sirius approaching and smiled at her lover's abilities.

"Hello, Sirius," she said sweetly.

"Care to tell me what that was about?" he asked, the anger in his voice evident as he cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"What do you mean?" She could smell the fire whiskey on his breath and realized that today, he was a very unhappy drunk.

"Just now, with you and Remus. Don't play dumb, Hermione, it doesn't suit you."

"And here I thought you could tell the difference," she spat, suddenly angry at both Sirius for his intrusion and herself for her stolen 'public' moment.

He gripped her arm roughly and asked, "What are you talking about?"

She smiled at him, a smile that never reached her eyes, but contorted her face in a way he'd never seen before. "That wasn't Remus, it was Moony." Jerking her arm from his grip, she quickly turned and walked away. She could only hope he had the sense not to tell anyone what he had seen.

"Hermione," he sighed, shaking his head in sadness when she disappeared down the hallway, "what have you gotten yourself into?"

Several hours later, Hermione lay awake in her bed, wondering exactly what had happened to her in the last few days? Since she was young, she had loved Remus as one would a kindred spirit, but now that had all changed and she could sense the effect it was having on their friendship. Moony wanted her to seduce Remus, but she kept thinking about Tonks and how wrong the entire affair had become. Sure, Remus and Moony were two separate entities, but they were both inside of Remus' body, which meant she had already experienced things with that body that she had never thought she would have the pleasure of doing, things she should never have experienced in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out sadly, refusing to cry because of what she was becoming---a mistress. There was no other way to put it, she had had sex with a married man. She had traced the scars that covered his body, took him in the most intimate way, and treasured every blessed moment of it. A certain allowance of the circumstances was made while they were together, but when she was left alone, the guilt crept inside of her.

The day after Moony had told her the Wolfsbane Potion actually hurt him, she had sabotaged it without question. Now, she lay in bed worrying about the possible ramifications. The wolf had told her that the transformation could be less painful and she certainly hoped he kept his promise. Rolling over, she punched her pillow again and tried to get comfortable. It never failed, life would be almost normal for her and then something would happen to change the mundaneness that she strived so hard to achieve. Something would take away the simplicity she had worked for and leave her emotions reeling from one minute to the next.

While turning over for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, she heard a loud crash from downstairs and sprang from the bed. Grabbing her wand and ignoring the fact that she was dressed in only a tank top and plaid bottoms, she ran out of her room and right into Harry. A shared look showed that they were both thinking the same thing, and when another loud bang came from below, they ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop at the bottom landing.

Sirius' booming voice could be heard echoing throughout the house. "Remus, I swear to Merlin I will hex you within an inch of your life if you don't calm down this instant!"

"Remus?" Harry asked Tonks, who looked both irritated and worried.

"He got loose a few minutes ago. Sirius has no idea how it happened, but he's warded the kitchen door and he won't let me come down. I thought I could calm it," she added bitterly, calling her husband a thing rather than a man, "being its' wife and all, but I only made it worse."

A loud bang reverberated up the stairs from the kitchen and Hermione cringed, guilt raging through her as she realized Moony had lied. The monster was loose after all.

A strange feeling swept across her and she found herself walking towards the steps that led to the kitchen. It was much like third year, when she had approached him the night they found Sirius, only this time, she realized her mistake; he was Moony, plain and simple; there was no 'Professor Lupin' and no 'Remus' either. Feeling the pull become stronger the closer she walked, a knowing smile crossed her face and she relaxed.

"Hermione, what are you doing?!" Harry shouted at her, grabbing her arm and pulling her roughly away from the steps.

Moony suddenly rammed the door again, howling for his mate to join him. Sirius trudged up the stairs, worry crossing his features as he glared down the steps and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I don't know how long the door will hold, but it won't be long. I think you should all go outside and try warding us inside the house."

"Us?" Harry asked incredulously, only releasing his hold on Hermione when they stepped around the scattered pictures that littered the floor and away from the stairs.

"Yes, Harry. I'll turn into Padfoot and see if I can control him, otherwise he'll tear the house down. Hermione, where the hell do you think you're going?" he asked angrily.

She turned away from the steps and looked back at him, her tender smile still in place.

"You messed with him, didn't you?" Tonks accused. "You make his potion every month and you messed with him! I know you want him, but I never thought you'd go this far, you stupid little girl!"

Hermione's smile faded and she realized that Tonks knew. She might not know everything, but the woman was smart enough to suspect something wasn't right and Hermione knew another moment of shame. Looking at the floor with guilt shining in her eyes, she softly replied, "I'm sorry, Tonks, so very sorry." A bang echoed up the stairway again, making them all jump in surprise and knocking another portrait to the floor, it's occupant squealing in outrage. Backing the last few steps to the stairs that led to her future, Hermione lifted her eyes to meet Tonks' and said without apology, "You may have the man, Tonks, but I have the wolf, and right now he needs me."

Without further explanation, she raced down the stairs and stopped at the warded door. The noises, the furniture being thrown around, and the force of body meeting door all ceased when she put her hand on the door and silently encouraged him into a state of calmness. Her forehead leaned against it and she heard him sniffing at the small opening at the bottom.

"Hello, Moony," she murmured softly, jumping in surprise when Sirius touched her shoulder and spun her around.

"I don't have a clue what is going on here," he said slowly, looking between her and the door, "and you will tell me before this is over, but for now, that's the calmest he's been all night."

"He needs me, Sirius. I don't expect you to understand, or even to accept it, but he needs me."

"You?" he asked, eyes wide with shocked understanding. "You're his mate? That's why he was with you earlier, why you two have been screwing around behind Tonks' back."

"How did you know?" she asked in surprise.

"We were supposed to meet in the kitchen that night, remember? I heard you two, but Remus sounded different. Now I know why. This is too dangerous for you and I don't like it."

She slowly closed her eyes and nodded her head before turning back to the door. "I'm going to take down your wards, Sirius, and then take him to my room where he'll be calm. When we get settled, put the strongest wards you can on the door and let no one enter until morning. Is that understood?"

He looked at her for a very long moment, appraising her words and her confidence. "I hope you know what you're doing, Hermione."

A small, triumphant smile touched her face before she pointed her wand at the door and took down all of Sirius' wards. "So do I. Tell them all to stay back," she said quietly. "He won't hurt them unless they approach one of us." She looked at him seriously and added, "especially Tonks. He's, um, not fond of her."

With a small nod of his head, he transformed into Padfoot and nudged her to the door. Understanding his actions to mean, 'It's your call, but I'm here just in case,' she breathed deeply and loved him for the comfort and support instead of the judgment she had expected. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned the knob.

"I'm coming in, Moony. I want you back away from the door and don't move."

She pushed the door open and walked in, her eyes locking with the amber eyes of a fully transformed werewolf. The door shut behind her and she walked closer to him. "Are you going to hurt me?" she asked softly, smiling when he shook his head in answer. "Good. I'm going to take you to my room for the night, but you have to promise you won't hurt anyone on the way there. Do you promise me?"

He nodded his head and with slow steps walked up to her. Her body trembled with unrepressed fear, but when he gently stroked her cheek with his hairy paw and the same eyes stared into hers, calmness washed over her and she relaxed.

"Tonks is upstairs and she's very unhappy. You can't touch her, understand?" With only a small snarl, he nodded and they both walked to the door. A very furry paw grabbed her hand, holding it as if the wolf himself were as nervous as she. Gripping tightly, she opened the door and walked out.

Padfoot looked up at her, then at Moony, before slowly dropping to the floor and rolling over on his back, exposing his bare abdomen in a show of submission before the werewolf. Moony made a sound in the back of his throat and Padfoot came back up on all fours, tail wagging as he led them up the stairs.

"Slow, Moony," Hermione cautioned. "Sirius has to tell them to stay away from you. Remember, you promised to behave yourself."

If it were possible, she would swear he actually rolled his eyes at her. Hands still held together, they rounded the corner in time to see Sirius transform back into Padfoot and stand between the wolf and the others. Tonks' face was furious and her hair was flashing color after color at a blindingly alarming rate.

Hermione breathed a slow sigh of relief, noticing that no matter what they were thinking, all occupants of the house were standing against the wall and not moving.

"Good, Moony," she whispered quietly, "let's go up the stairs now and then to my room."

He tightened his grip on her hand and followed her without question. Then, suddenly he stopped. She quickly looked at him, then followed his gaze to the bottom stair directly in their path. A blood curdling scream tore through their eardrums followed quickly by Harry's shout of "Daphne!" only seconds before he ran to stand between his love and a fully grown werewolf. Fear crossed his features when Moony looked at him for the first time. Not a soul breathed until the wolf whimpered and looked at the dog standing in front of Harry.

Sirius slowly transformed, holding up both hands and saying quietly, "It's not him, Moony, it's not Prongs."

The wolf shook his head for a moment, seemingly trying to clear his head. And then it happened; his amber eyes connected with Harry's green, green eyes that brought back the hatred of the woman to which they belonged, and he growled deep and menacingly. Dropping Hermione's hand, he rushed forward, grabbing Harry by the neck and pinning him against the nearby wall.

"STOP!" Sirius shouted, forgetting to transform as overwhelming fear for his godson took hold of him and he tried to pry the wolf off by brute physical force.

"You can't do this," Hermione said sternly. "You promised you wouldn't touch anyone!"

Trying to be helpful, or insert herself where she clearly wasn't desired, Tonks strode forward, putting her hands on her hips and saying, "Remus Lupin, you stop that this instant." Her hand came up fast, slapping his arm and trying to get his attention. "As your wife, I demand you stop acting like a monster!"

Sirius and Hermione looked at each other, then back at Moony. His eyes met Hermione's as if to say 'deal with her or I will' and Hermione tried to pull her back.

"Tonks, he's not Remus, you don't understand," she said calmly.

"Don't understand?! I understand you think you can take my husband! If you can handle this wolf," she said haughtily, "then so can I."

She jerked her arm away from Hermione, only to turn quickly with her hand and slap Hermione hard across the face. Her head whipped back sharply and she barely registered Moony releasing Harry with a loud roar and lunging towards Tonks. Straightening quickly, she put herself between Tonks and the furious wolf, taking the full blow of his body as it smashed into hers. He rolled off of her immediately and was sent flying across the floor by a vicious snarling dog. The wolf was too much for Sirius, however, and within seconds, he easily pushed the dog back across the floor. Whimpering, he walked back to Hermione.

Everyone froze in place when he knelt down beside her and gently stroked her cheek. Then, he pulled her up to him and held her close, his eye daring anyone to come close to his mate.

"Upstairs, Moony," she said breathlessly.

With a nod of his head, they slowly walked towards the stairs, only this time, he stopped beside Daphne, who stood completely still, frozen by fear as Harry slowly reached out and took her hand. Moony's eyes darted to their joined hands, then up to Harry. He sniffed the air around Daphne and slowly nodded his head, heeling to the light pressure Hermione was putting on his arm to move up the stairs and away from the others.

"Hermione," Harry said calmly, "if he hurts you, I will kill him."

Taking a deep breath, she ushered him up to her room, ready to spend the night with the beast.

Sirius followed at a close distance and when they were locked inside the room, he warded the door with the same wards he had placed on the kitchen. They weren't needed, he knew, but decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Resuming his dog-like form, he turned a few circles in front of her door before settling in for the night.

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when the door clicked shut behind them. "That went as well as could be expected," she sighed.

It hit her, somewhere between the understanding she shared with a werewolf and the realization that said werewolf was standing before her, that she was actually going to spend the night with a 'dangerous creature'--in her own bedroom no less. A bit of fear was solidified within her when he suddenly pulled her to him and held her tightly against his chest, his nose nuzzling her scar and his teeth lightly scraping against it.

"Well," she asked shakily, "do you sleep on the floor or would you prefer the bed?"

Taking her hand, he led her to the bed and gently pushed her onto it. When she complied, he moved her over and lay down beside her, surrounding her in his hairy arms and holding her tightly to him again. A sliver of apprehension went through her, slight worry that he might want something in his wolf form that she found herself unable to even consider, but instead, he only held her.

When she shivered slightly, he drew up the covers around her and then resumed his position, encircling her in the safety of his arms once more. Grinning, she turned in his arms to lay her head on his hairy chest. Her fingers ran through the hair as his heart thudded in her ear, the combination lulling her into a surprisingly peaceful slumber in the arms of the beast she was quickly growing to love beyond reason.

Remus awoke groggily the next morning, sun shining brightly into his overly sensitive eyes. His wife lay curled in his arms for the first time that he could ever remember and he cherished the long awaited moment. He ran his hands gently through her soft, curly hair and committed the feel to memory. It wasn't often, if at all, that his wife allowed him to touch her for no reason other than to sate his gentle desires and the alien feeling was amazing.

Curly hair?!

He woke to full consciousness quickly and looked down to the brunette curls covering his chest, the hand splayed possessively across his bare breastbone, and the leg pinning his own against the bed. He felt every inch of her body that touched his and with a panicked start, realized he was completely naked.

The full moon? Was that it? He thought back to the night before and tried to piece together some semblance of meaning within the memories. He remembered locking himself in the cellar, but not actually going in there. He also remembered transforming as though it were nothing at all…no pain was felt last night or this morning when his bones broke and reformed, when the hair sprouted from his body, or when he retook his human form not long ago. So, how the bloody hell did he get here, in Hermione's room with her, sleeping in her bed?

"Hermione," he hissed angrily, shoving her off him as he quickly covered himself with the sheet and watched as she woke up.

She grumbled for a moment, wiping her eyes with her fists in a childlike way he would have considered cute if not for his incensed mood. "Remus!" she squeaked.

"Are you going to tell me why the fuck I'm in here? What happened last night? Why am I not in the cellar? Tell me, Hermione!" he snarled.

Standing up to look down at him, she tilted her head defiantly. "You were trying to tear the house down last night and wanted to come up here. Don't make this out to be my fault!"

"I wanted?!" he screamed. "Don't be ignorant! I was a bloody werewolf last night!"

"You're a werewolf every night, and every day for that matter, it's only once a month that you actually transform," she hissed back, infuriated that he was denying Moony's existence.

"I don't need you to tell me what I am, I think I know that by now! And I don't need you doing whatever it is that you've been doing lately," he spat, surprising her with his words. "Whatever it is you think I need from you, you're wrong. Get those immature ideas out of your head where I'm concerned and leave me, and my wife, alone."

He stood quickly, dragging the sheet with him as he towered over her, his gaze livid in a way she'd never seen before.

The door behind him opened and Sirius walked in, carrying Remus' pants and scowling at the two. "Hermione, turn around. Remus, get dressed," he ordered, not taking his eyes off his old friend. "Before you start jumping to conclusions on what you think you know, Remus, I suggest you find out the facts first."

Remus threw the sheet on the bed and put his pants on, completely unembarrassed to be naked in front of Sirius. "I _know _that I did not wake up where I was supposed to and, as usual, I know that she has something to do with this!"

Hermione spun around quickly. "As usual?! What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he snarled, "that you have a way of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. When we finish our research," he said, his voice dropping to a deadly quiet tone, one that dripped with finality, "Dora and I are moving out. I'm tired of this," he added, motioning between the two of them, "whatever this is and I refuse to hurt my wife."

Lowering her head and all but admitting guilt, Hermione waited quietly until the two men left. She heard them walk to the door, only to have Sirius walk back towards her. "He has no idea, does he?"

"None," she said softly, silent tears streaming down her face. "But we can't let him leave, Sirius, he…he'll die."

"Die?" Sirius asked shocked, then sadly shook his head, "You don't do things the easy way, do you?"

She gave him a sad smile in return, but they were interrupted by someone shouting from downstairs. "HERMIONE, COMPANY!"

Running her fingers through her sleep tousled hair, she brushed passed Sirius and down to the front door. Harry was talking to someone she couldn't see, but Daphne was held closely to him.

"Hello, tesoro," he said and she ran into his outstretched arms.

"Blaise, where have you been?" she playfully scolded him after he set her down.

"I'm sorry I've been away so long. Actually I'm only here today to talk to Potter for a few minutes, then I have to leave again."

They continued their conversation in hushed undertones, completely unaware that Remus was angrily watching them. He wasn't sure why, but the sight of Hermione excitedly throwing herself into another man's arms was more than a little disconcerting. Truth be told, he was jealous and that angered him more than anything else.

"Hermione," he said sternly, "there was an owl for you earlier. It looked important."

"Good morning, Lupin," Blaise said respectfully.

"Zabini," he answered coldly, walking away before he made a total fool of himself.

"Well, he's a right ray of sunshine, isn't he?"

"Yea, rough night," she said distractedly before turning her full attention back to him. "I'm glad you came by, I'll leave you to Harry now. Owl me soon?"

"Of course, Tesoro," he said gently, taking her hand and brushing his lips against it politely, but with familiarity.

She smiled up at him, then turned and walked to the library where she assumed her post had been left. The Ministry's wax seal adorned the crisp parchment and with nervous hands, she picked it up and took a deep breath. This was it, the moment they had been working for. She'd owled all the information directly to Kingsley earlier and this would be his answer. Silently thanking Remus for his last minute breakthrough, she released the breath she held and opened it. Skimming the quick note, she squealed in delight and ran to find Remus. At the entrance to the hallway, she collided with his hard body with a loud "Ooomph."

"Sorry," she apologized before her excitement returned in full force. "I got it Remus! We're approved! We go at noon tomorrow to present our information to Kingsley."

He stared at her for a few moments, allowing her words to sink in. Without thinking, he picked her up and spun her around, kissing her forehead as he beamed happily. "You're a genius!" he exclaimed.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them and they both spun around guiltily.

"If you're quite finished with that little display," Tonks sneered, "I'd like to borrow my _husband _for breakfast."

She turned around and stormed down the hallway, leaving them both still smiling like idiots. "She's rather angry with me for some reason," he said, his smile still in place.

Hers, however, slipped from her face quickly. "You honestly don't remember last night?"

As though someone had doused him with cold water, he stepped away from her, angrily turning on his heel and heading in the same direction as Tonks. His animosity towards her had just returned full force and it didn't help that it felt forced, but he had to keep his distance from her at all costs…there was just no telling what he would do otherwise.

Hermione sighed heavily, then went upstairs to avoid seeing Remus with Tonks. She felt frustrated at the recent turn of events, but she also felt as though her heart were breaking and there was little she could do about it. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided that Moony was right, no matter how hard he pushed her away, she was just going to stay close to him and hope for the best. Besides, they had souls to save the next day!


	5. Angry Remus

Finally, a bit of solace. The wolf had been angry for far too long now and it didn't help that everywhere Remus went, Hermione was already there. The kitchen, the library, even the damn loo; he had to meet her coming or going all day long and it was serving to both anger and confuse him. Even keeping Tonks around as much as possible wasn't helping. If anything, it was making things worse, making it all the more obvious to him that he was a failure as a husband and his wife would rather be anywhere than around him.

Why couldn't Hermione just make this easy and stay away from him? Why is it that when he needed to ignore her, to have her not be around, she was everywhere? He couldn't remember it being like that before, but then again, he didn't have a reason to try and avoid her. Now, it was as though she were taunting him with her presence. Last night had been the easiest transformation of his life. He had no scars, no pain, no reminders at all that it was even the full moon. What he did have, however, were the vivid memories of her tight, little body pressed up against his as she slept. He felt like he was on the edge, hanging on for his life, for his sanity, and she was gently pushing him in a direction he wanted to go, but wasn't allowed.

'_Perhaps that should tell you something.'_

Remus growled in response to the wolf, hating himself for the anger he was starting to feel towards Hermione. What could he do? The wolf hated her and it wouldn't be long before something terrible happened, before he became the cause of her fate. He'd never be able to live with himself if he hurt her. He growled again, frustration and self-loathing becoming like a covering for him as he settled into the darkness. And damn it all, now he could smell her!

"Remus, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he snarled, glancing up briefly and understanding why her scent was suddenly so overwhelming. "Just go away, Hermione." Of course it was her, wearing that skirt that never failed to make men look three or four times in her direction and a shirt that wasn't completely buttoned at the top, showing more than just a hint of cleavage. Ten minutes of solitude was all he had asked for, all he had wanted, but he couldn't even have that.

Looking up from the table again, he was a bit surprised to see her standing right over him.

She assessed his features, a concerned look crossing her face when she gently put her hand to his forehead. "You're not feverish, but you don't look well. Is there anything I can do, anything I can get for you?"

Remus stood suddenly, his chair crashing back against the floor as the startled witch before him took a quick step backward as she looked at his eyes in confusion.

"There is nothing you can do, Hermione," he ground out. "How many more ways can I say this so that it is abundantly clear? I just need to be left alone!"

She snorted softly before locking her eyes with his. "Obviously," she spat angrily, wondering why everything with them kept becoming an argument.

'_She looks delicious when she's angry, wouldn't you agree? Her face all flushed, her young tits heaving against her tight shirt. And that skirt, could it get any shorter?'_

Before he realized it, Remus glanced down at her breasts, then quickly looked away.

'_Shut up, wolf!'_ The wolf, however, chuckled, happily taunting him.

"Remus, you're bleeding," Hermione said with surprise, quickly walking over to him and taking his arm in her warm hands. "How did this happen?"

"I have no idea," he answered between gritted teeth. Did the witch just not get the meaning of the word 'alone'?

Her hand feathered up his arm to examine the shallow cut. "It's not deep," she said, pushing him towards another chair. "Sit down and I'll heal it for you."

The smile she gave him was sweet and innocent, but he knew a lie when he saw one. She was playing games with him, had been for some time. Why else would she stay around him when he told her to leave. When the wolf tried to take over, everyone else left him alone, so why not her?! His gaze landed on the chocolate, the chocolate she gave him before and after every full moon to help ease his body. Chocolate which led to their first, and only, kiss. The full moon which had led to him waking up naked in her bed this morning.

'_She knows what you like, what you need, but I think you'd rather lick that chocolate off her delectable, tight body. Can't you see it? She's naked on the bed that belongs to your wife, you drizzle the melted chocolate all over her tits and down her stomach. Then slowly, savoring this moment you'll never have, you lean your head down to her glorious body and lick her clean. Do you think that's what she thinks of each time she gives you that particular gift?'_

So, that was the game she was playing. She wanted to play dirty with a married man and thought he would be willing to take her up on the offer! He glared at her and the beautiful smile on her face faltered, even as he felt his pants tighten painfully.

To say Hermione was surprised with Remus' current behavior would be a serious understatement. She had seen him come in here alone and was concerned about his obvious unhappiness. Following him, she noticed the way he fought with the wolf, trying to overcome whatever issues they were having. Granted, she had a feeling she knew what they were arguing about, but he didn't need to know that. Moony wanted her to seduce Remus away from Tonks, but she had no idea where to even begin, no matter how much she was coming to understand that it was needed for his own survival.

"I only wanted…" she started meekly, slowly backing away from him.

The knowledge that he upset her only served to anger him further. "What, Hermione?" His voice was a low roar as he jerked her body flush against his. Ignoring her squeak of surprise, he bent his head down closer to hers and snarled, "You think I haven't noticed? You think I haven't seen the way you follow me around like a lost dog lately? You're acting like a whore, Hermione, and it's very unbecoming of you. I realize I kissed you, but it was a mistake, and you need to get over whatever it is you think you're feeling. I'm married and I intend to stay that way."

He wanted to push her away, wanted to make her hate him so much that she never came around him again…lost souls be damned, he had his own to worry about.

'_That's it, make her cry. Show her what kind of man you really are. She's been throwing herself at you like a common whore for far too long now. Don't you think it's about time you gave her what she wants? She belongs to you, you belong in her. Do it, human! Take her! Give her what she thinks she wants and show her what fucking a werewolf is really about.'_

The wolf was pushing through, he could feel it. He could feel his anger, coupled with the lust he felt every time she came near, and he knew he had to make her hate him. With a wolfish grin, he also realized the wolf was right; threaten to give her what she thinks she wants and she'll go the hell away. If he couldn't move out because of his wife's refusal, he could damn sure drive his new obsession away.

He backed her into the table and not once did she object to his closeness, only confirming what he had already realized…she wanted him.

"What is it you want, Hermione?" he snarled, anger overtaking him completely as the witch refused to be scared and back down. She didn't answer, infuriating him even more. "I asked you to stay away from me and you refuse to listen. Now, you will get what's coming to you." His free hand wound through her hair and he jerked her head back sharply, making her whimper in pain.

"Remus, please," she pleaded, "this isn't the way it's supposed to be."

His mirthless laugh met her ears only seconds before he ripped her shirt open and grabbed her breast. Slowly, he lowered his head to her neck, biting it roughly as she squeaked in weak protest. "It isn't supposed _to be_ at all, Hermione, but you can't leave things alone. You always have to stick your nose in where it doesn't belong. I was happy with my wife until you ruined it, until you made me question things that never should have been questioned."

Even though he was hurting her, anger soared through her body and out her mouth. "That's bullshit and you know it," she spat, head cocked to the side wantonly as his mouth ravaged her neck and shoulder---stopping briefly to unconsciously lick her scar that the torn shirt revealed. "You've not been happy with your wife since you married her. What's wrong," she taunted, unsure exactly why she was pushing him, "not man enough for her?"

'_That was rather low of the bitch,' _the wolf chuckled, '_even I wouldn't go there and I'm not particularly fond of you as of late. Will you seriously take that from her, a wanton little slut questioning your manhood?'_

Remus growled then, rage and lust as he'd never known filtering through him and he finished ripping her shirt down the middle, sending buttons flying across the room and ignoring her sharp intake of breath.

"You want this, Hermione? I'm going to show you just how much of a man I can be!"

Not giving her time to answer, his hand grabbed her naked breast once more, before lowering to her hips and the warmth between her legs. Suddenly his fingers were cupping her wet knickers under her skirt and he laughed coldly. "This turns you on? You're such a sick little whore."

"You're a bastard," she snarled in reply, ashamed that she wanted him even after the things he had said to her. How could the man be so much like a beast, but the beast be so much better than the man?

Remus grabbed her hips and harshly spun her around, forcing her to bend over the table as he quickly lifted her skirt and pushed the soaked lace roughly down her thighs. "A bastard who is going to fuck you now," he growled. "You've been panting after me like a bitch in heat all week and now I'm going to show you what it's really like to have my cock slamming inside of you!"

Hermione whimpered slightly, realizing that he was really going through with it and knowing that she was powerless to stop him, even if she found the will to try.

"Fuck you, Remus," she sobbed, but then he was gone.

Her shoulders sagged in relief and hurt, but she realized he was still there when his hands suddenly grabbed her hips and his cock rammed deep within her wet passage. She gave a cry of pain and pleasure, then heard him groan from behind her.

"Gods, witch," he moaned, thrusting brutally in and out of her body. "Gonna fuck you like the whore that you are," he snarled.

And he did. His hands gripped her hips so hard she knew he'd leave bruises, but the heat and tension building within her was so great, she started meeting him thrust for thrust even against her own will. He grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking back hard and exposing her neck. His wet tongue flicked up her slightly bare back to her neck, and then down to her scar where he licked and nipped at her mark, without realizing the significance of what he was doing.

His cock pistoned inside of her with reckless abandon and within seconds, he felt her body convulsing around him. Shocked that she was actually getting off, he thrust harder inside her dripping core, desperately trying to make her hate him. As she tightened around him, however, he knew he'd never last. She was so wet, so tight and hot, and he'd never felt anything like this before in his life. His skin tingled and burned, his heart beat so fast he thought it would explode, and his mind reeled from the sensations. He knew in that moment that the wolf was right…this is where he truly belonged. The realization came too late, however, because after today, she'd never speak to him again. His hips surged forward twice more and he found himself buried deep within her, spilling his seed inside a woman he was forbidden to have, forbidden to love.

They had no sooner righted their clothing than the floor began to shake, throwing them both off balance. The pictures on the wall began rattling, falling to the ground with a loud simultaneous crash amid various screams and curses from the occupants. The candles surrounding the room all extinguished, throwing the room into a darkness that made Hermione screech in terror.

Remus immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, sheltering her with his body as he moved them to the doorway. The ground continued to shake and the cabinets rattled with the ominous sounds of dishes breaking under the stress of what could only be defined as an earthquake. He pulled her into his arms and pushed her back against the door frame, completely shielding her body with his own as his arms came up to cover her head as well. Her hands were fisted into his shirt, pulling him closer and holding on to him as if their very lives depended on their closeness to one another as her tears dried forgotten upon her cheeks. She was so scared, the pain that flashed across her finger went completely unnoticed.

As suddenly as it started, the shaking ceased and the kitchen came to a still once more. The candles flickered and relit, but the two remained locked together for several more moments. Hermione stood in the safe cocoon of his arms, willing her body to stop shuddering and her breath to return to normal. Concentrating on his slowing heart rate beneath her hands, Hermione waited until hers resumed the same pace before easing back slightly.

Remus felt her move away so when his breath calmed and he was sure it was safe to release her, he reluctantly did so. Taking a deep, guilty breath, he placed his fingers under her chin and made her look up at him.

She saw his eyes--guilt, fear, and lingering shock and lust--and her heart broke for him. Her heart broke for the situation both she and the wolf had put him in. This sweet, gentle man deserved so much more than the life he had been dealt, and she was bound and determined he should have it…even if she was rather angry at him.

"Gods, Hermione, I…I'm so sorry," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "I don't know what's come over me lately." He ran his hands through his hair, a habit quickly becoming very endearing to her, as he walked around the disaster that used to be their kitchen, leaving her rooted to the spot. "Lately, I feel like I'm going crazy and losing control of myself. I know this sounds absurd and I don't deserve the chance to explain myself," he continued, refusing to meet her eyes as he surveyed the damage, "I have periods of time where I can't remember anything and…" he broke off suddenly, smelling the air around him for the first time. "And you've had sex in this kitchen recently."

His eyes held both accusation and humor before guilt took over again. Walking closer to her, he tried taking her hand only to have her jerk away from him as if burned.

"I'm going to check on the others," she said heatedly.

"Hermione, please," he pleaded, "I'm so sorry, but I can't explain what I don't understand." Of course she had the right to be angry, and he knew she would want to leave once he made himself sound like a fool in front of her the way he did Tonks, but he wasn't sure why, when she finally hated him the way he wanted, he felt as though his world were ending.

Taking a deep breath and trying desperately to see things from his point of view, while also trying to forgive him, she lifted her eyes to his. "Tell me," she said quietly, pointing towards the table and gesturing for him to take a seat. His nervous glance at the damnable object was not lost on her, but he slowly pulled out a chair and sat down.

"You won't understand. You'll…I don't know, laugh at me," he said, remembering his own wife's reaction.

Hermione gently placed her hand on top of his own for support. "I'm not her, Remus. Tell me."

He looked down at her hand covering his and then up to the understanding look on her face. Holding his breath in anticipation of her reaction, he softly said, "It's the wolf."

"Go on," she encouraged and he found no trace of condemnation in her features.

"Gods, this is going to sound insane." He looked at her hand again. "He's been…lately he's been talking to me."

"What does he say?" she asked cautiously.

He blinked in surprise at her response before continuing. "Well," he started slowly, unsure exactly how to proceed, "at first I thought he hated you, actually, but now I don't know what he wants. It's no excuse though, I never should have touched you and never like that."

"Then why did you?" she asked with slight heat back in her voice.

He sighed deeply. "I wanted to make you hate me, hate me so much that he couldn't hurt you if I ever lose control."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

"How did you…"

"Talk to him," she interrupted, "go on."

'_Why am I talking to you? Can I even talk to you without an argument?'_

'_Well, hello human. Finally starting to see reason?'_

'_So, I can talk to you just as easily as you do me.'_ It wasn't a question, Remus had finally realized that he could talk to the beast within first, instead of waiting on him to show himself before any discussion began.

'_You always could. You just needed to do it. Enjoy our witch?'_

'_Not like that! Never like that. Why did you make me lose control? I practically raped her!'_

'_Someone had to make you see, make you do what your moral values would not allow.'_

'_This was to hurt me as well as her?'_

'_For an intelligent man, you really can be quite daft.'_

'_Meaning?'_

'_Meaning that I have never wanted to hurt her.'_

'_But the growls and anger when she came near, I wasn't imagining that.'_

'_No, but you weren't paying attention to whom they were directed either. You led yourself to believe that because it was easier than accepting the truth.'_

'_Which is?'_

'_She belongs to us, human, and you and I belong to her. I've told her as much and she understands. The very ground shook from your bonding.'_

'_You've talked to her?!'_

'_More than talk, my friend. Tonight was not the first night that your cock has been inside of our witch.'_

'_Excuse me?'_

'_Several times actually. You have no idea what wonders she is capable of.'_

And then he understood. The way he could smell her on him, the smell of sex around him when he didn't remember the event, the lapses in memory…it all made perfect sense to him now.

"Go to hell," he said, barely restraining his anger as he stood up and made his way to the door, "both of you!"

Hermione sat in silence for a long while, idly playing with the napkin that lay haphazard on the table. She had watched Remus' face as he talked to the wolf; a myriad of expressions had flown across his features until it seemed like shock and anger remained. She had jumped back, startled when he quickly stood up and told her to go to hell, but understood his reaction nonetheless. What she didn't know, however, was if this situation was one that could be repaired.

Deciding to work on what she could, she stood up and raised her wand to the mess. The portraits jumped back on the wall, the dishes glued themselves back together and lay neatly stacked, the table righted its' belongings, and the dust and debris disappeared.

Remus stormed from the kitchen and was mildly shocked that the house showed no visible signs of damage. Deciding to head to the library and check on their work, he stopped short at the door when he saw his wife nosing through their most recent developments. Unbeknownst to him, however, she had been silently fuming for hours. Finding another woman's knickers in your husbands pocket will do that to a woman,

"Dora, what are you doing?" he asked coldly, still angry at Hermione, but more upset about his wife's betrayal of something so private it had been deemed 'A Matter of Ministry Security'.

She jumped, startled at the sound of his voice and tried to look innocent as she shoved papers back around on the table. "Remus, what are you doing here?" she squeaked.

He looked at her accusingly, "I have a meeting at the Ministry tomorrow and I need to get things ready. Now, what are you doing?"

She walked over to him, her mouth turned up in a suggestive manner that always put him in the mood; until tonight that is. "Come on, baby, let's go to our room and I'll help you relax," she purred as her fingers walked up his arm.

The wolf inside growled and this time, Remus understood. "Nice try, Dora, but I still want to know what you're doing in here."

Huffing, she turned back to the room and said sarcastically, "Look around, Remus, this is a library. It doesn't have your name, or Hermione's," she spat, "written on it."

"No, it doesn't, but the box you took those papers from was locked. If you tell anyone what you found, Dora…"

"You'll what? Come on, Remus, be honest with yourself." By this time, she was facing him directly and her eyes flashed with anger, while sadness and acceptance filled his. "You make empty threats because you're too _nice_ to do anything. Too kind and gentle."

"I'm the same as I was when we married, Dora, nothing has changed," he sighed.

"Exactly! Things were supposed to change when we married. I told you I'd be there for you and I've tried, but you never let me in. You never show me what you show her!"

"What?!" Remus roared, aided quickly by the wolf within. "I have tried talking to you and you laughed, or do you not remember?"

"What about Hermione?" she spat the name like a disease.

"What about her?" he retorted.

"Why were you fine with her last night, but tried to attack me? Your wife, Remus!" she shouted.

"This is about jealousy?" he questioned and watched as she bristled.

"No matter what I think or how I feel about you, Remus, you are still my husband…mine! And I will not share you with someone else--any of you."

'_Does that put your wife into perspective enough for you? Our witch was willing to listen to you with an open mind and without judgment, yet your own wife tells you she no longer wants you.'_

In fact, her comment should have infuriated him, shamed him, or made him feel something. Instead, all he could do was smile sadly down at her as he listened to the wolf, really listened this time. "Let me get this straight," he responded coolly, "you don't want me, but you don't want anyone else to have me either, right? And you're angry with _me _over something in which I have absolutely no control? I'm a werewolf, remember, and some things are beyond my control."

Tonks opened her mouth to speak, then quickly shut it again. "I suppose you're right," she said softly after a few minutes of his accusatory look. With a shrug of her shoulders, she left the library to get ready for her night on duty. Not allowing her husband to see the glint in her eye or the sneer on her face.

Remus walked through the cluttered library, thinking somewhere in the back of his mind that their intense research had left quite a mess that would need to be cleaned after their meeting the next day. He began straightening books and pieces of parchment while he thought of the meeting and what lay in store for them when they actually faced the veil. Granted, Hermione would have to do the actual spell, since being a lycanthrope prevented such things from him, but he would be there with her in case she needed him, if she would allow him anywhere near her after what had just happened.

He couldn't understand why the wolf was so insistent on this relationship. Perhaps selfishness was his only driving force, or perhaps there was more to things than he ever realized. When he fixed all their files and such for the next day, he quickly locked them back in the box before someone else would happen along to see. As he moved the box from the table, he eyes fell on an ancient book marked to a certain page with a scribbled on piece of parchment. Surprised, he recognized Hermione's handwriting and wondered what else she had found since they finished.

_Is this why Remus doesn't know? How long do they have to live if denied? Can one be mated and not be together? Each mark means something different---is it literal?_

Confused by her questions and what they had to do with him, he skimmed down the page and realized with a start that this was an old book about Lycan mating habits. Intrigued by how this would affect her, and if this was what the wolf had been talking about, he paid closer attention to the words as he sank down into the overstuffed armchair. An hour later, he heard the front door slam with a bang and knew that his wife was gone for the night, but he was so engrossed in the book that he didn't care. He had been a werewolf for four decades now and there was so much he didn't even know about himself. A mate? That sounded so wolfish that it actually made him laugh. When he read that a wolf has only one mate in his entire life and would die without her, his laugh died instantly. The reading continued to explain what the mating ritual entailed and he gasped in shock when he saw a series of possible marks. He scanned the pictures until he found the one in which he had been frantically searching. His heart rate sped up, his breathing became quick and shallow, and sweat beaded upon his forehead…he had marked her. The scar had been so obvious only hours before and he now understood his need to caress and lick said mark. And then it happened…his memories returned in a flash of blinding pain and he could see himself with her. The counter in the kitchen, the couch in this very room several times, and then the kitchen again, only hours before.

Hands shaking, he slammed the book closed and willed his body to come back under control. She had known. This last week that they had spent together doing research, she had known. The wolf said he had spoken to her, had been with her, but Remus had refused to believe her capable of such a thing. Now, however, he not only knew she had been, but he understood why and was becoming hard just thinking about it. Not to mention, his actions only hours earlier became even more atrociously cruel and unforgivable. He dropped his head slowly into his hands, realizing that he not only lost one of the best friends he had ever known, but he had lost his lifemate as well. No part of him wanted to hurt his wife, but his desires and feelings towards Hermione now held a different meaning. Deciding that talking to her was the only way to solve this problem, especially before their meeting tomorrow, he stood up and left the room.

As he padded down the quiet hallway, he was surprised at the lack of, well anything really. There were no sounds, no other people, nothing…and he could hear extremely well tonight. His sense of smell had increased as well and he inwardly smiled as he realized he was using the wolf's senses. That had never happened before. When he was still another hallway away from her room, he could smell her and she smelled like moonlight. He snorted, damned if that wasn't the way to describe a woman! As he concentrated on her, he also heard her soft sobs and his heart broke, knowing he was the cause of her sadness, her disappointment.

He gently rapped on the door and awaited her permission to enter. When the door slowly opened, he saw the tear tracks that ran down her pale cheeks. She clutched her robe tightly to her and a feeling of déjà vu swept over him. Then he remembered the wolf taking her on the kitchen counter, marking her as their own while she wore nothing more than that robe. She had been so passionate, so completely perfect that seeing her so broken in this moment ripped at his heart.

"May I come in?" he asked quietly.

Her only answer was to show him her back as she walked across the room and sat back down at the vanity, pulling a brush through her tangled locks and waiting for him to speak.

"Hermione, I…I can't even begin to…"

"Then don't," she said coldly, turning around to look at him. "Don't come in here and tell me how sorry you are, how stupid and pathetic I am, because I already know." Fresh tears spilled out of her eyes and down her cheeks, but she refused to acknowledge them. "You made it perfectly clear how you thought of me, and then proceeded to show me, so I really don't need to hear it again. I just want to go to bed and forget this entire week ever happened, okay?" She turned around, but stopped at his soft spoken, raspy word.

"No," Moony replied with authority, and for whatever reason, she felt compelled to turn around and keep her gaze lowered from his.

Stubbornly, however, she met his amber eyes through her own narrowed brown ones. "How could you let him do that?" she asked.

He closed the space between them and grasped her wrists in his hands. "I didn't just let him do that," he growled, angry at having her question him. "I goaded him into doing it. I taunted him and pushed him until he finally broke his stupid barriers and took what he was meant to have, and this," he added, holding up her left hand and showing her the finger, "is the result. The next time he takes you, mate, will be because you both want it and because he has accepted me. Only then will we truly be bonded. For now, the slight bond that has been forged will have to last until such time."

Hermione stood staring at her ring finger and suddenly remember all the times it had itched or burned, especially right after the earthquake in the kitchen. "The kitchen shook, but the rest of the house remained untouched," she breathed.

"Of course," he smirked, "that was your bonding. I have allowed the human his memories and he now knows everything."

"Are you leaving?" she asked in shock, her eyes finally meeting his again while his hands still held her to him by the wrists.

"Not yet. When the human accepts me, then I will go, but not completely. As I have said before the happier either he or I become, the stronger the other is in turn. I have never been more content than when I am with you, and the human is stronger."

"Does he know what we're saying?"

"Yes, and he's quite content himself letting me talk to you instead. He's too busy wallowing in his self-pity."

"I'm angry with you both right now. Whether I should be or not, I am."

"Understandable," he rasped, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck and held her close.

"No," she said, squirming under his touch, "I'm not ready for that."

"Allow me to hold you while you sleep, mate. That is all I seek from tonight, just let me be close to you."

"You're not forgiven," she said, but the smile on her face belied the sincerity of her words.


	6. Seeking the Lost

Remus awoke with a start, his arms wrapped firmly around his…no, not his wife, he thought with a grin. He remembered last night and knew that when he opened his eyes, it would be to search through the mass of brown hair and find her chocolate eyes staring back at him. Fitting, he mused, seeing as chocolate was one of his favorite things. Her gentle breathing tickled his chest as he lazily began stroking her flannel clad hip. A completeness such as he'd never known before surrounded him and he sighed happily before pulling her tighter to him and willing the day to never start.

Last night had been amazing and, while completely innocent, he was left with the realization that he connected with this witch like none before. She rolled onto her back and he propped his head up on his hand to watch her, chill bumps dotting his arm as her hair tickled the elbow holding him close to her.

"It's not polite to stare," she mumbled, barely peeking through her heavy eyelids at him.

He smiled as he continued to watch, his free hand now resting in the curve of her waist and his thumb gently rubbing her exposed skin. Ideas of how to earn her forgiveness, '_preferably naked'_, the wolf had been adding to the end of every idea, had been plaguing him since he had awoken those short moments ago.

"Am I forgiven now?" he asked queitly, his smile slowly fading when he watched her features turn more serious.

Brown eyes met blue and he held his breath as he waited for her to answer; all the while wondering why it felt like his own life was hanging in the balance. Gentle caresses of her barely exposed midriff never ceased, and she didn't act as though she wanted him to move, but he feared her response nonetheless.

"I can't stay mad at you," she sighed in resignation, "but that doesn't mean things are alright between us. However," she added, bringing her hand up to entwine her fingers with his own, "I understand this has been difficult for you as well and I suppose I can try to understand your position and the reasons why you used me the way you did. I just don't know what that means for us."

She looked so sad, so completely lost that his heart went out to her. Nothing that had happened between them this last week could serve to extinguish the fire she had lit within him, or the wolf, but nothing gave him the right to do what he did either.

"I was trying to protect you," he said softly, trying to pull away from her and secretly smiling when she held on to his hand. "I thought he, the wolf, hated you. How was I supposed to know what had been going on? You've used me as well, Hermione, maybe not purposely," he added, holding up his hand to stop her imminent interruption, "but it was my body you and he were using while I was left completely unaware of the entire affair."

"You're right," she said, her voice coated in shame. "I just…I didn't…hell, I don't know."

He couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of his mouth, but quickly tried to stifle it. "This is new territory for me as well," he said finally, his voice growing serious again. "I'm married to someone else and then find out that, without my knowledge or consent, I've been having an affair with someone half my age."

Hermione looked away, and Remus could swear he saw sadness creeping into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Remus, I truly am," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It's just so hard knowing that I'm good enough for the wolf, but for the man, I'm not even close."

"Hermione that's not…" A noise from the door brought them from their conversation and back to what had awoken them in the first place. Hermione, however, rolled over to face him and snuggled her tight body in closer to his, hiding from what they both knew was coming as he lay his head on the pillow and held her close; neither knowing how many stolen moments like this one that they would have.

"Harry, you really shouldn't."

"If he's in there, Sirius, I want to know!" He heard Harry's harsh whisper and, despite the impending blow up, smiled slightly to himself. Like father like son.

"It doesn't really matter, does it? If he's in there, then obviously they're both happy and we should leave them alone. There's more to them than you realize, Harry, more than even I know."

"Sure they're happy, until Tonks comes home, then what? Hermione is better than this. Hell, Remus is better than this, so what are they playing at?"

The door creaked open and, even with his back to the two men, Remus heard Harry's angry gasp of surprise. Sirius chuckled softly and walked quietly closer to them.

"Better get up, Moony, the bitch…I mean your wife, will be home soon."

"G'way," Hermione mumbled sleepily against his chest and Remus grinned down at her, his heart growing when she wound herself deeper into his embrace.

"You heard the lady," he said without looking back, "go away."

"Your wife, Remus," Harry said coolly, "will be home soon and I would prefer it if she didn't find you in Hermione's bed, _again_."

"I would prefer it, Harry, if you let me fight my own battles. Remus is warm and I am comfortable. Not to mention we both have our clothes on, so obviously nothing happened." Hermione buried even deeper into his arms while he pulled her tighter and nuzzled her hair again.

Harry stormed out of the room with a very giddy, and quite sober, Sirius in tow. Halfway to the kitchen, they heard someone in the library and went to investigate. Tonks, looking worse for the wear after her long night at work, stood over the table, but looked up quickly when they walked in.

"Harry, Sirius," she smirked knowingly, "there's something I think you both should know."

Sirius strolled in, throwing his arm around his cousin and asking, "What is it, dearest cousin of mine, that you know and we don't?"

Harry, however, kept looking to the door and then down the hall. The discomfort of knowing that her husband was in bed with his best friend was completely evident on his face. He hesitated until Sirius threw him a pointed look, then he walked anxiously into the room.

"What is it, Tonks? Did something happen last night?"

"Yes and no," she said seriously. "Nothing happened at work, but I found out some things I think you should both know about." She looked almost nervous and they all sat down around the table. "You both know that Remus and Hermione," she said the name like a disgusting disease and Harry feared the worst, "have been keeping things from us. Last night I found out what it was. Now, I personally believe that because of their connection to us, they should have confided their research and their results, but they chose not to do so. I've been going back and forth with whether or not to tell you what I know and have decided that you deserve the truth…from someone at least."

Sirius looked intrigued, but also irritated at the way she was talking about them and Harry was flat out curious. "Go on," he encouraged like a child being told what they were getting for Christmas from Santa Clause himself.

"Well," she began haughtily, making Sirius cringe in disgust, "when I was searching for something completely unrelated, I came across their research by mistake. They have found a way to bring back those that are stuck in the veil."

Her proud remark left the two men dumbfounded and only Hermione and Remus glaring evilly from the doorway brought their attention back to the matter at hand.

"Is it true?" Sirius asked cautiously.

Hermione's response was honest. "No, it's not." She shot an angrily look at Tonks, with whom Remus was already storming over to, before saying more. "We think we _might_ have found a way to do something with the lost souls, but whether or not it will bring them back is still uncertain."

"But you think you can do something with them, right. Somehow let them come back or move on or…something?" Sirius asked hopefully, a light shining in his usually guilt-dimmed eyes.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but it was Remus who answered his long-time friend. "Yes, Sirius, in all honesty I think we've found a way to do something, we just don't know what that something is yet, nor do we know what effects it will have. We have a meeting with Kingsley in a couple hours and then we'll know more."

A contemplative look fell over Sirius' features before he grinned. "I'm going with you."

"So am I," Harry added.

Three hours later found them still sitting in the Minister's office. Remus could tell that Hermione was getting more and more nervous the longer they continued and it didn't help that the wolf kept smelling Tonks and growling. Funny, that in just a short week he had started referring to her as 'Tonks' again and wondering why he ever married her to begin with. It seemed he had lied to himself for almost a year and it took the wolf to show him what she was really like; that and her incredible manipulative streak that he knew nothing about previously.

He walked up behind her and started massaging her tense shoulders as they finally began walking down the hall of the Department of Mysteries, allowing his warmth to seep into her as he softly whispered into her ear, "You'll do fine, Hermione, I have no doubt."

"You know this should never have been allowed, Minister," the old Auror said snidely. The man had contradicted them with baseless accusations for the last three hours and Remus was growing more and more tired of him.

His friend smirked and replied, "What could this slip of a girl and her," he paused, looking Remus up and down with obvious disdain, "_wolf_, possibly have found that the Unspeakables have not?"

Hermione stopped in her tracks, addressing the two Aurors and bringing everyone to a halt behind her. "You are more than welcome to stay behind. Keeping with your stupidity will only get you left where you stand and I won't allow you the entrance you so secretly covet."

"Won't allow?!" he spat hatefully.

"Who died and made you boss?" the other asked unintelligently.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione responded, "All those I hope to free soon. Now, what's it going to be, are you going to play nice or not at all?"

"Why you little…" he snarled, advancing on her quickly only to be stopped by Remus' grip on his forearm.

"I wouldn't," he said coldly, tightening his grip and making the man's face flush in anger.

"Don't touch me, wolf!"

"Enough! Hermione, please continue on. The Unspeakables are waiting for us and we don't have time for this. McDavis, Bobar, do as she says or stay where you are."

They reluctantly nodded their agreement to the Minister and Hermione glared at them for a moment before leading them to the Rotating Room.

"Death Chamber!" Kingsley called out and the doors suddenly stopped spinning around them. A door opened to their right and they filed through it and down the rickety and broken stone steps.

Hermione, Remus, Sirius, and Harry stood at the top, waiting on the others to descend and trying to get their emotions under control. Harry and Remus had lost Sirius in this very room all those years ago and the room itself held a terrifying secret that only Sirius fully understood. Although Hermione hadn't been in the room at the time when Sirius fell through the veil, she had seen others' memories repeatedly and felt their emotions now like they were her own.

Turning to face the others, she quietly said, "If you would rather stay outside, I understand." When they continued to stare at the veil instead of acknowledging her, she spoke a bit louder. "Listen, this is one of the reasons Remus and I didn't want you to know. Just being in this room is difficult enough and you shouldn't have to go through this."

Without looking at her, Sirius added softly, "And you didn't want us to get our hopes up." He turned towards her with a weak smile, "It's okay…I'm okay. I mean, no offense, but I don't honestly expect this to work. Sure, when Tonks told us this morning, we were both excited, but neither one of us expects anything. Just do what you can and we'll see what happens."

"Besides," Harry said jokingly, "it'll be nice to actually walk down these steps instead of falling the entire way."

Hermione looked at Remus, who nodded, and then down the steps. With a hand on the small of her back, he gently guided her down to the floor and towards the raised dais. She could feel him tense beside her and knew that he, too, was reliving the battle.

"You ready for this, kiddo?" Kingsley muttered in her ear when he walked over.

Down on the floor now, they could all see remnants of their battle with the Death Eaters. Burned areas were scattered throughout the aged room and the holes and cracks in the benches nicely fit most human body parts. Ignoring this, Hermione nodded her head and took a shaky breath before walking across the floor and toward her final goal.

She could hear the voices now, much the way Harry and Luna had claimed they could the first time. She no longer thought them crazy, but understood that a person had to have an intimate knowledge of death before it was possible to hear those that spoke from the realm of the nonliving.

A sharp gasp from her left drew her attention to Sirius and she saw, not for the first time, how affected he was by the entire ordeal…and how afraid.

"Alright there, Sirius?" she asked, so only he could hear.

"I will be," he replied through clenched teeth and she smiled at Kingsley when he patted Sirius's shoulder and began speaking to him, slowly drawing him away from the others.

No pressure, she thought to herself, before saying out loud, "Everyone stay back and, um, keep your fingers crossed." She muttered the last bit to herself and jumped slightly when she felt something brush against her back. No one was that close to her, so she shook off the feeling and turned toward the bane of her very existence at the moment when she heard his remark.

"Stay back?" McDavis hissed quietly. "Why would we stay away from the action?"

Remus had walked up to the man when he had turned sharply to face Hermione. "Because I told you to," she said calmly.

"Because you told me to? Who do you think you are? Do you really think you can ride the coattails of Harry Potter this far? You are fooling no one, little girl. This can't be done and our time is being wasted all because you get what you want by spreading your legs for the Min…"

Remus snarled angrily, "Finish that sentence and you will regret it."

"Oh really?" he asked, glancing to make sure the Minister was still busy. "What are you going to do? Tonks has told me all about you and I can assure you that I am far from scared."

It was obvious the Auror was bluffing about his lack of fear as beads of sweat dotted his forehead and his eyes darted around the room. It also appeared he had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Remus stepped closer to the man and snapped in a low tone right in the man's ear, "Speak to her again and I will…bite you."

With a terrified look on his very pale face, McDavis stumbled to the bench and sat with the others, his wide eyes never leaving Remus as though he feared an attack the second he turned his back. Remus, however, winked at Hermione and she thought for a moment she could see amber flash in his blue eyes.

Nerves began to overwhelm her when she looked back at the dais and noticed everyone watching her with looks of excitement and skepticism. Remus turned her to face him and, with his hands firmly gripping her shoulders, she felt encouraged and uplifted by his words.

"You can do this," he said, willing her to believe him. "I'm right here. Forget about everything and concentrate on the veil and the souls trapped inside. We've only been at this for days, Hermione, and you can't expect it to work on the first try."

She nodded her head and he smiled that warm smile which never failed to go straight to her heart. "Show me the girl whose biggest fear was failing a few exams and I'll show you the woman who can conquer anything. I'm right here," he reassured her again.

Turning back to the dais, she smiled as she walked slowly closer. She was concentrating on her task so completely that she missed Sirius telling Harry not to worry about how close she and Remus had become; she missed the gazes that bored into her back and also the loving look on Remus' face as he watched the woman he was truly falling in love with work a miracle.

When she approached the dais, she touched it gently with one hand and then began murmuring words she hoped would bring them back. Assuming only so many souls would be found in the veil, she jumped right into the memorized spell that Remus had prepared and began chanting over and over.

For several long, agonizing moments, nothing happened; there were no changes to the dais itself, nor to the people around her. Worry and self-doubt began to creep inside her mind, but she continued on. When the amount of magical energy she was using began to fatigue her body, she pushed onward still and willed herself to manage more. Reassurance began to flood her when she felt Remus' warm hand slide into hers. She looked down at their joined hands briefly before looking back up to his supportive face. Sirius stood beside them and, with their support, she began chanting again, only louder and with more force.

It was just as she was ready to give in to the inevitable, just as her body was screaming in protest that it could take no more, she felt the strength surge from Remus into herself and the air begin to hum and buzz around her. She glanced to the high ceiling for only a second and saw the foggy forms of lost souls stream from the veil and swirl into the air around them. Several people squealed in surprise and, had she had the opportunity, Hermione would have laughed at McDavis' reaction. Instead, however, she continued to chant as the fogs began to shift between air and corporeal shapes. She had to hold back her gasp of surprise at what she saw before her.

When she heard Sirius' strangled cry from beside her, she chanced a glance in his direction. His body was changing, the outlines blurring as his feet began to lift from the ground. She quickly released Remus' hand and grabbed Sirius' shoulder as she continued her chant. His body wavered back and forth and the shocked expression, mixed with outright fear, on his face scared her more than anything she had ever seen in her life.

Tears began sliding down her cheeks when she suddenly realized that if they continued to save the souls from the veil, in the way in which they were doing at the moment, they would lose Sirius, perhaps lose them all. But, it was too late to stop and she knew she had no choice other than to continue. Sirius seemed to know that as well, and he solemnly nodded his head to her while pulling her hand away from his shoulder, keeping his eyes locked on hers as his body faded further and further into the fogginess that matched those around him.

"NO!" Remus and Harry shouted together, both grabbing Sirius and trying desperately to ground him before he became lost to them once more-this time forever.

In all of the confusion--the screams from startled mortals, the buzzing from the lost souls that were half there and half not, and Harry and Remus trying to hold on to Sirius--no one noticed the hands that suddenly materialized from behind her until it was too late, until Hermione screamed in surprise and panic only seconds before her tired body was pushed forward and engulfed by the veil itself. They all stopped to watch, stunned, as the lost souls screeched with ungodly sounds and Hermione floated away from them like a leaf on a gentle breeze.


	7. The Aftermath

_Tears began sliding down her cheeks when she suddenly realized that if they continued to save the souls from the veil, in the way in which they were doing at the moment, they would lose Sirius, perhaps lose them all. But, it was too late to stop and she knew she had no choice other than to continue. Sirius seemed to know that as well, and he solemnly nodded his head to her while pulling her hand away from his shoulder, keeping his eyes locked on hers as his body faded further and further into the fogginess that matched those around him._

"_NO!" Remus and Harry shouted together, both grabbing Sirius and trying desperately to ground him before he became lost to them once more-this time forever._

_In all of the confusion--the screams from startled mortals, the buzzing from the lost souls that were half there and half not, and Harry and Remus trying to hold on to Sirius--no one noticed the hands that suddenly materialized from behind her until it was too late, until Hermione screamed in surprise and panic only seconds before her tired body was pushed forward and engulfed by the veil itself. They all stopped to watch, stunned, as the lost souls screeched with ungodly sounds and Hermione floated away from them like a leaf on a gentle breeze._

The second her chanting stopped, Sirius returned to his physical body with a giant shake and it was obvious he was trying desperately to take air into his shocked lungs. Remus only registered that fact for a fraction of a second before he watched Hermione fly into the veil. The souls still floating around them screamed in such a way that everyone in the room clutched their head and felt as if their brain would explode inside their very skulls. Remus, however, only watched as the woman he suddenly realized he loved began to leave him forever. Without conscious thought, he immediately ran after her; somewhere in the back of his mind reminding himself that he once kept Harry from doing the very thing he was going to do himself.

The second his body touched the shadowy air, he felt as though his own soul was ripped from him and breathing became the most difficult task he had ever attempted. The pain was incredible, but he felt the wolf push through his senses and dull the sensations.

"Hermione!" he croaked, before swallowing dryly and trying again. "Hermione, can you hear me?"

"Remus," she whispered, so softly he would have questioned the voice had it not been for the wolf's hearing.

Suddenly, however, he felt a vise-like grip around his ankles and his body began to move of it's on accord. "_NO!_" screamed the wolf as he realized someone was pulling him away from his mate. "_Hermione!"_

"Moony!" he heard her reply and realized she was close to him. Remus' arms flew out and, even though he couldn't see anything in the darkness, he felt the fabric of her shirt against his cold fingers and jerked her to him just in time to feel the grip around his ankles tighten and his own body jerk backwards.

They fell in a tangle of arms and legs onto the hard floor, all gasping for breath and shaking uncontrollably as Sirius and Harry moved out from under them, Harry went to speak to Kingsley, while Sirius remained where he was; his own memories being relived had taken their toll on the shaken man. Remus sat up, his arms helping Hermione to sit with him when he noticed her eyes roll back in her head and her body go limp.

"Hermione!" he yelled weakly. "Hermione, wake up!" He cradled her limp form to him and rocked her gently back and forth, fear such as he'd never known coursing through his body and he knew the wolf felt the same.

Suddenly the air around them shifted and everything went still. In the back of his mind, Remus heard surprised exclamations from those around him, but it wasn't until Sirius' sharp intake of breath that he actually looked up--and almost fainted himself.

"Very impressive witch you have there, Moony," a familiar voice said.

"Bloody hell, it worked! It actually worked!" Sirius screamed, jumping up and throwing his arms around his best friend. James Potter, however, did not look as happy.

"Yes, it worked, but not in the way you're thinking, Pads." He untangled himself from Sirius and they both crouched on the ground with Remus, who held on tightly to Hermione.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked desperately.

"What she has done is nothing short of incredible and it almost worked the way my intelligent Moony thought it would, but she was forced to stop too soon. Therefore, we can't come back as earthly beings."

Sirius yelled in protest, but James' familiar, and extremely missed smile stopped him short. "But you're here now," Sirius whined, making both Remus and James grin at him.

"But only for a moment. She has given us a true gift, Moony, and you should both be proud. We're no longer stuck in purgatory as murdered souls, or lost in the veil…we're free. We finally get to move on as we should have all those years ago. Look around boys, we also get the gift of saying our last farewells."

The two men looked around and were shocked by what they saw. Unspeakables of old were speaking to the new, Aurors were talking to other Aurors, and Lily was talking to her son, tears streaming down his face as his mother held him for the first time that he could remember.

"My son is incredible, is he not? And now I'll get to watch him grow as a man, watch as he gets married and has children of his own." He turned back to Remus, gently stroking Hermione's hair from her forehead as she slowly began to stir. "You gave me that gift, Moony, and I can never thank you enough. Take care of your witch, she's the only one deserving of you. You both are the brothers I never had and I will love you even more in death than I did in life."

Tears were pouring down their faces and no one made a move to wipe them away. It no longer mattered that Sirius had survived and the others wouldn't, only that they were given this amazing gift of goodbye. Lily and Harry walked over to join them, father and son staring at each other for seconds before embracing and starting a new wave of happy tears.

"We must go now. Take care of my son, you two," Lily said sweetly.

Remus growled suddenly and they all looked at him shocked, except for James. "It's okay, Moony. I know about Severus and I forgave her a long time ago."

Remus stared wide-eyed as the startling realizations entered his mind and he finally understood why the wolf hated her so much. "Seventh year…you and Severus? During the holidays? And after?" he stammered in disbelief, listening to the wolf try to explain himself. Why had he not thought to ask before now?

She cast her eyes downward and shook her head. "Until I realized I was pregnant with Harry. Then I told James everything and he forgave me. I suppose you smelled him on me."

"Yea," Remus mumbled, "I guess so."

"Love requires forgiveness, Moony, and compromise. I loved Lily from the moment I laid eyes on her and I'll love her through eternity. Just as I love my son and the two of you. I only hope you all find that as well."

With those last words, Lily and James began to fade into the misty figures they were before and float to the ceiling. A blazing light engulfed them and they disappeared with more words of love and hope. Instead of anger or despair, the men left behind felt nothing but peace and love, and the satisfaction of having at least those last few moments with the ones they cared so deeply about.

Remus stood with Hermione, slowly walking with Sirius to the stairs when the commotion to their left gained their attention.

"The souls attacked her and knocked her out!"

"I've never heard of such a thing!"

"She pushed the Granger girl into the veil on purpose!"

"I can't believe the girl did it, she brought them all out!"

"The wolf won't be happy," another muttered.

There, laying in an unconscious heap on the floor was Tonks, Harry's invisibility cloak under her body and a terrified look frozen on her face.

Remus sat in the chair beside her bed, his head lay on his forearm and his hand encasing hers so completely that if she so much as twitched, he would feel it. Worry and guilt warred for dominance over his features, but a newfound love shown most brightly from his heart.

"Aren't you in the wrong room?" Harry asked coldly, the underlying meaning of his words more than evident to the man he felt had betrayed him and whose actions almost resulted in the death of his best friend.

He looked up at the young man who was so much like his father, yet tainted by war and murders that no one should have had to witness. Before he could respond, the others walked in behind him, matching looks of accusation firmly in place as they glanced at Hermione and then glared back at him.

"I was, uh, just leaving," he said softly as he stood from his chair and released her hand.

Slowly, he made his way down the hall to Tonks' room. Hermione deserved so much more than he could ever hope to offer her and he knew, no matter what it cost him, he would do as originally intended and leave. As a werewolf, he could have the marriage easily annulled within hours and spare Tonks the trouble and embarrassment. '_Again, blame the wolf,'_ he thought, and was rather surprised to realize that it was indeed his own thought.

What marriage? He asked himself gloomily as he leaned against the doorframe and watched his sleeping wife. A marriage based on lies and deception was not a marriage at all. He had once thought that providing her with children would solve their problems, and he knew she believed that still, but he could no longer love a woman who had tried to kill another and in one of the cruelest ways possible.

Hermione would be fine, he told himself again. The healer had reassured him of that only moments before Harry had come in. She had her friends and family to help take care of her and he knew that Sirius would keep her safe. And, when the wolf reminded him that they would die without their mate, he thought bitterly that perhaps she might feel inclined to attend his funeral and say farewell.

"Remus? You stayed." Tonks' weak voice pulled him back from his thoughts and he slowly walked over to her; noting the silence from the wolf, but feeling the anger and uneasiness nonetheless.

"I'm here," he said stiffly, then asked the question that had been plaguing him all along. "Why, Tonks? How could you?"

Silent tears slid down her cheeks as her hands bunched in the crisp, white sheets. She couldn't even pretend to misunderstand his question. "I honestly don't know. You know I would never intentionally hurt someone, but…" she trailed off.

"Yea, I know," he said honestly, "but why were you there in the first place?"

"When I told Kingsley what I had found, he didn't take my interfering too nicely and forbid me to join you, so I had to think of another way. I wanted to see if it could be done, so, I borrowed Harry's cloak and followed you."

"You were in the room when we spoke to Kings and the other Aurors, weren't you? That's why the wolf kept smelling you," he added absentmindedly and she nodded with confusion.

"So, it's for real then?" she asked with a sharp bite in her voice.

He sighed with exasperation. "I have never lied to you, Tonks, and this is not something I would make up."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the reversion back to her name, but, before she could comment, they were interrupted.

"Remus," Sirius said quietly from the doorway, "she's asking for you." At Remus' hesitant look, he added, "Harry and the others left shortly after you. The Healers say both Tonks and Hermione can leave now."

Remus nodded his head slowly, then looked between Tonks and Sirius. "I have a duty to Tonks," he said, raising his hand to stop Sirius' irritated rebuttal. "No matter how horrid her actions, she is still my wife."

"Have it your way," he said angrily, glaring at Tonks before storming back down the hallway.

"Thank you," Tonks muttered. "They're all going to hate me now, aren't they?"

"Yes and don't thank me," he replied through gritted teeth. "When we get home, you are not to go near her, do you understand? Don't talk to her, don't even look at her. I don't care if you're in the middle of eating a meal, when she enters the room, you are to get up and leave without a word."

He glared down at her as she slowly stood up, steeling himself against the emotions playing on her face. The woman that used to be his strong, caring wife, had become someone he no longer recognized. Of course, it wasn't as though he was the same man either.

Hermione still felt the cold and lonely ache within her body. The Healers had rechecked her just yesterday and were under the assumption that, due to her incredible magical weakness, the veil had a much larger impact on her than it did Remus. Sirius had gently apparated her home and tended to her in the three days since. He also seemed to understand her completely and, when curling up into a ball and weeping miserably for hours on end was all she wanted to do, he held her tightly against him and sheltered her from the world. The world, it would appear, also included Remus, as she hadn't seen him since they returned. Sometimes, when she felt the loneliness most acutely, she would smile sadly to herself and think that perhaps Remus thought Tonks was in the right by trying to send her into the veil.

Sirius had tried explaining her reclusive behavior to the others, but no one seemed to understand enough to leave her alone. How could they understand? She had dangled Lily and James in front of them only to have her plan fail when she went into the veil and they escaped purgatory as souls, not humans. Not to mention that the Lily and Snape revelation had almost killed Harry.

They had blamed her, even if not to her face, and they blamed Tonks, but most of all, they lay the blame at Remus' feet and, from what Sirius had told her, he accepted it without at word. Thinking about it made her angry, so she tried not to, but to no avail. He had started to feel loved and accepted for the first time since his younger days at Hogwarts, but ever since their first kiss in the kitchen a mere week and a half ago, his life as he knew it began to change--rapidly.

She couldn't understand how her 'family' could judge without first becoming intelligent of the situation. No one knew of her connection to him and she had hid the faint ring around her finger well, but they all suspected a cheap affair between them. She also couldn't tell them anything related to the situation, because every time she spoke, she was interrupted by someone asking her about her own welfare. The entire thing was ludicrous!

Her bitter thoughts seemed to bring about another wave of nausea and she tried breathing deeply in hopes that it would abate somewhat before she joined the party downstairs. The Healers had informed her that, although strange that she had this effect while Sirius and Remus did not, the side effects of the veil just weren't known to completion yet and she should wait it out.

There was a soft knock on her door, followed by someone calling, "Hermione?" Sirius opened the door slowly and peered inside. Seeing that she was dressed and ready, he walked over to her and gently grabbed her shoulders. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"No, but I have to face him…them sometime. Might as well do it with a house full of partying Weasleys. I just wish," she started, then paused to regroup. "I just wish he would talk to me, tell me he never wants to see me again, and then let me get on with my life. I hate not knowing things and this is no different."

"I know," he said softly as he pulled her into his arms. "He refuses to talk to me about it as well. I think, maybe, he's finally gotten control of the wolf and is resorting back to the way things were. Being away from you has helped that, I'm sure. I just don't know."

"Will you keep the Firewhiskey nearby?" she asked when he finally pulled away from her.

He grinned and nodded knowingly. Later, he could tell her how he had learned in the last week that getting pissed wasn't the answer. James made him realize three days ago, that happiness includes compromise and, if he could forgive Lily for screwing the greasy git, then surely Sirius could stop drinking himself back into an early grave.

Hermione, however, wanted to stay in a permanent state of numbness and was sure that seeing Remus wouldn't help her cause. However, she gathered her courage and took Sirius' proffered arm as they walked through her door and down the steps. Shouts immediately rang out for the guest of honor, who grinned and joined the festivities. Funny, Hermione could swear his smile was forced and his charm practiced.

It wasn't an hour later that he joined her on the couch, on the outskirts of the partying, but sober, crowd. She grinned at him and patted his shoulder knowingly.

"How long you figure before the guest of honor can leave without being rude?"

She chuckled, but before she could reply, someone began tapping their glass and she looked up to see Tonks trying to get everyone's attention. Hermione thought it fairly humorous that only Tonks' parents seemed happy to see her today, yet everyone spoke to her as they usually did and not as the murderess she almost became.

"Since everyone is here that matters," she announced nervously as she smiled at her husband, "I have a surprise. Remus and I are going to have a baby!"

The room erupted in cheers and the past almost two weeks were completely forgotten as Molly and Andromeda rushed over to hug her. Fleur, Ginny, and Daphne started bombarding her with question after question about the baby's name and their plans for its' future. Ted clapped Remus on the shoulder before walking over to the gaggle of women laughing and crying in the middle of the room and hugging his daughter. Remus, however, looked as though someone influential had just told him that Earth really was flat and Wizards were just a myth.

"So, a baby, eh?" Harry asked Remus, excitement shining in the young man's eyes.

Remus looked across the room, his gaze landing on Hermione for the millionth time that night. He had tried to ignore her, tried to distance himself so that when he left tomorrow it would be much easier, but seeing her tonight made him realize he would never forget her, not even a minute amount. Now with this impossible pregnancy, he didn't know what he should do. The wolf had been strangely quiet for some time now and he thought it might be possible that without his interference, Tonks could be pregnant. He just really didn't know enough about it to understand yet, and she had sprung this on him in the middle of everyone. He watched Hermione, who stood still, talking to Sirius and shaking her head in confusion, but, when his eyes locked with hers, he could see she was quickly becoming angry. What gave her the right to be angry with him?

"A toast," called Ted, "to my grandchild!"

The room erupted in cheers, but when Remus looked again to Hermione and saw the despair in her eyes, his world began to collapse around him. The wolf was back and he was angry!

"Looks like the new father-to-be is shell shocked!" Came another shout and all eyes turned to Remus.

Turning his attention back to Tonks, he saw her walking slowly his way.

'_SHE LIES!' _the wolf suddenly roared inside of him. Anger such as he'd never known surged through his body, integrated into his veins, and began to mould into his very being. Remus tried desperately to still his emotions, but to no avail. The anger burning inside of him hurt physically and he watched in horror as his fingernails seemed to grow into claws and he could feel hair erupting through the skin of his arms. The wolf was breaking free and Remus fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands as he prayed his skull wasn't actually splitting in two and trying to ignor the concerned cries around him.

'_She lies!'_ came the roar again.

'_Shut up!'_ he screamed, hopefully inside his own head as he then pleaded, '_Just stop!'_

The wolf slowly began to take control and Remus grabbed his chest in agony, desperately trying to keep the beast at bay and suddenly fearing an impossible transformation that wasn't related to the moon.

"Remus! What is wrong with you?" he heard Tonks shout and could swear she was walking towards him though he wasn't at all sure.

'_She will pay for this treachery!'_ the wolf snarled as he glared at Tonks. '_Pay for her lies and pay for hurting our mate!'_

'_What in the bloody hell are you talking about? Please, just stop!'_

'_I will kill her for this!'_

"NO!" Remus shouted, falling further onto the floor and scaring everyone in the room as they continued to stare at him in shock. "I won't let you touch her!"

Then a new voice flew from his mouth, raspy and full of venom that was directed solely at Tonks. "You will pay for your treachery, bitch!"

"Oh, shit!" Sirius exclaimed as the hair on Remus' chest stood out and his canines began to elongate. "Everyone get out! Get out now!" Both he and Hermione had been just as shocked by the display as the others, but now both came back to reality and realized the extreme severity of the situation.

There was mass confusion and murmurs of concern while everyone shuffled out of the door--giving the crazed man on the floor a very wide berth.

Remus continued to struggle with the wolf who was slowly taking over. Even as he watched Tonks look at him with eyes full of hatred, he knew he couldn't let the wolf out.

And then, he felt her. Her gentle hands cupped his head, drawing him into the circle of her embrace and calming the wolf in ways he could never do alone. He clung to her, silently begging her to never let him go as he felt his canines recede a fraction and the misplaced hair on his body disappear.

The others all stopped and watched fearfully when Hermione, instead of walking to the door with them, walked over to Remus. Their own fear was forgotten and turned to curiosity when they saw her fall to the floor beside him and then saw the way in which he responded to her. Tonks looked furious, but Sirius' hands wrapped roughly around her arm held her back and she seethed in both fear and anger.

"Shh, it's okay," Hermione murmured softly, holding him to her as she would a child in need of comfort. Stroking his hair gently and rocking him back and forth, she ignored those around her and concentrated fully on him--the man she had fallen in love with so long ago and the wolf who easily claimed her heart. "I know she's not having your child, Moony, it doesn't matter to me what she says. You must calm down."

And he did. The wolf receded back inside of him, his breathing returned to normal, along with his features, and a collective sigh of relief spread throughout the room.

Remus looked up into her calm face, his blue eyes so full of shame and turmoil that her heart broke for him. "It's okay," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands before repeating, "It's okay."

His body sagged against hers in exhaustion, but in that moment he knew…he knew.


	8. Monster

A/N: Special thanks to all those that have reviewed! I really appreciate each and every one of them!

"Come on, Remus," Hermione encouraged, huffing as she tried to lift the weak man from the ground. "Up ya go."

Sirius released Tonks' arm, shooting a look of warning in her direction before walking to Remus' other side. Together, he and Hermione lifted him to his feet and sat him down on the couch. They sat down beside him in a show of support, but both were so lost in their thoughts that they had forgotten momentarily about the others standing near the doorway.

Harry was the first to walk closer to them, his eyes wary as he slowly voiced the thoughts of the others. "So, um, what just happened here?"

Remus had kept his head in his hands and Hermione knew he was afraid to look up, afraid of the accusations that he knew would come from the people he called family.

"There's a bit about werewolves that you guys don't know," Sirius started, trying to hold a diplomatic tone while also warning them not to hurt his friend. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "There's a bit about them that I don't know myself."

"Such as?" Fred asked with a grin. Apparently, not everyone was upset about the ordeal and the twins were always particularly pleased when Tonks was put in her place.

Sirius looked across Remus to Hermione, nodding his head for her to enter the conversation. Nervously, she began to tell them what she knew, keeping a cautious eye on Tonks who looked both shocked and disgusted.

"You mean to tell me," Harry said unhappily, "that all this time you two have known each other, this just suddenly arose out of nowhere?"

"No," Hermione said nervously. "The last night Sirius came home pissed, Remus and I were in the kitchen and…and we sort of had a moment of sorts. It started then." Defending Remus against them, she quickly added, "Remus didn't know what was happening. Moony told me that when he was in control, or whatever, that Remus didn't know what was happening."

"Is that true?" Arthur asked. It seemed he was reserving judgment until he had all the facts at least.

Remus looked up, meeting most of their eyes before landing on Arthur's. "At first, yes. But the day before we went to the Department of Mysteries it changed. When he would come out, I was aware of what he was saying and doing, but I still couldn't control him. I also became aware of everything else that he had done the week before."

"And what had he done before exactly?" Harry asked through gritted teeth.

"He marked her," Remus said in defeat, his hands running once again through his hair.

"As in 'bound her to you for life'?!"

"Harry, that's enough!" Hermione said forcefully.

Remus looked at Hermione questioningly. "He says you called to him once before, a long time ago, and he answered. He's known since that day that you would, er, belong to him."

"Called to you?" she asked in confusion.

"Bloody hell," Harry gasped suddenly. "You did, Hermione, and he did come. The time turner, remember? We were watching when he turned on me. You howled and he turned to us."

Hermione's mouth gaped open as she looked from Harry to Remus. The rest of the room, however, had no idea what Harry had just said. How could he turn toward Harry and Hermione if he was already turned toward Harry?

Suddenly, Tonks stormed forward, her expression a sneer mixed with a hint of gloating. "So, I was right after all. You've been whoring yourself to MY husband and he's been having an affair with you! I even found your knickers in his…"

She stopped as quick as she started when Remus jumped from the couch, unsettling both Hermione and Sirius. "You will NOT insult my mate again. It is for her alone that you still find yourself breathing!"

A quill could have dropped and been heard by all as the room stopped moving and the occupants stared at Remus. Calm, quiet Remus that they had all known never to put a tone out of line, was currently threatening his wife.

"Remus!" Molly shrieked when Tonks began to cry openly. "You'll upset the baby!"

Moony turned to the others and laughed; a mirthless laugh that chilled them all to the bone and left Hermione very confused and still hurt, before he addressed Tonks once more. "_You _are not having my cub. Nothing grows inside of you, but contempt and hatred. Tell me I'm wrong," he growled.

He looked pointedly at Tonks and she started crying harder, falling into her mother's arms as her body shook with sobs.

"Yea, Tonks, tell us. Are you um, having _cubs_?" George asked with a snicker. He immediately stiffened and paled when Moony turned his attention to him.

Cocking his head to the side and assessing the man before him, Moony grinned. "And you," he said with a chuckle, "are lucky I like you." He turned back to Tonks, obviously awaiting her answer.

"TELL ME!" he bellowed, making them all cringe.

"It's true," she sniffled hatefully before glaring at him coldly. "You've been spending so much time with her lately and ignoring me. I thought if I could make you believe I was pregnant, you'd offer to move out again and we could leave. Then I could just say I lost the baby." Tonks strode in front of Moony so that they both stood in the center of the room. "She's nothing more than a whore! And you, you are nothing but a monster!" Tonks exclaimed, her hand coming up and slapping Moony hard across the face.

His head snapped back sharply and a growl fell from his curled lips. Before Hermione and Sirius could stop him, Moony grabbed Tonks by the throat and threw her against the wall. Her head cracked against a picture and she slid down to the floor, whimpering in pain and fear as Moony stalked closer. When her eyes flickered to Hermione who was slowly pulling him backwards and calming him, the relief that crossed her face was evident.

"And your pathetic excuse for trying to kill someone else?" he snarled in question, barely giving an inch. "Tell me, since you've not told anyone else. Tell me how you justify trying to kill my mate and why the rest of you," he said, looking around the room, "have made her feel guilty when she has done nothing wrong."

"She slept with a married man. I'd say that's wrong," Molly said stiffly.

"She had no choice! I gave her no choice. I could feel her emotions and I knew how the human felt about her. He was never meant to take this filth," he said, waving his hand in Tonks' direction, "but she convinced him to do so with empty promises."

"How could you, Tonks?" Harry asked softly, finally accusing the one that was truly to blame. "How could you try and kill Hermione? Do you not care that you stopped them all from coming back, from getting the second chance they all deserved?"

"Oh, come off it, Harry," she retorted as she slowly stood back up. "Your precious Hermione is my husband's mistress and yet it's me you accuse? What would you have done? Tell me that, Harry."

He thought for several moments as the others looked on and waited. "I would have done what my dad did," he answered finally. "I would have forgiven and let it go, not sought revenge. And I would have let her go instead of holding on to something that wasn't meant to be." Harry turned to Hermione, ignoring the wolf beside her as much as possible. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I was angry at my mum, at Snape, at the world in general…and I took it out on you. I should have been there when you needed me like you've been there for me in the past. Can you forgive me?"

"Oh, Harry!" she sniffed, before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Neither, however, could ignore Moony's soft growl and they both parted quickly. Harry giving the wolf a strange look and Hermione grinning at him lovingly.

"I think it's time to let Remus handle this," she said softly, leading Moony back to the couch.

His fingers stayed locked with hers and he nodded. Within moments, Moony closed his amber eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, they were blue and blazing with anger. He looked at his hand holding Hermione's smaller one and jerked away as if burned.

"You lied to me!" he accused Tonks, who started sobbing again. "Knowing I wanted a child more than anything? And you used it against me?" He looked at the others. Some were watching him in awe, some fear, but most in disbelief.

"She already admitted it, Remus. Moony scared the hell out of her, so I think you should let it go," Sirius said quietly as he sat beside his friend once more.

"Yea, he scared the hell out of all of us," Fred piped in.

"Remus, how could you do those things? How could you attack and threaten Tonks the way you have? How could you…I mean…with Hermione?" Molly asked with obvious disdain.

Remus' eyes blazed again, but the voice was obviously his. "We're not called 'monsters' in jest," he snapped. "I have warned you all, time and time again, of what I am, and you all chose to sweep it under the rug and pretend it wasn't real, that I was normal. Now that you're faced with the fact that it is more real than you ever imagined, you're going to accuse me of being what I told you I was in the first place?"

"No," Hermione said forcefully, glaring at the room. "No, they're not. They are going to accept that there are things in this world that they don't understand and act accordingly. Not make accusations based on ignorance and lies. Tonks," she said, addressing her would-be murderess, "what happened was wrong and it never should have happened that way. I understand why you are angry, but you cannot pretend that you and Remus were happy. And you certainly can't pretend that you and the wolf are compatible."

Tonks glared at the girl before her, but before she could respond, an owl flew down and dropped a red envelope at her feet.

"YOU WILL REPORT TO MY OFFICE IN NO MORE THAN ONE HOUR! A DECISION ON YOUR IMPENDING SUSPENSION AND REASSIGNMENT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THIS TIME. YOU ARE LUCKY THAT HERMIONE OWLED ME HERSELF IN YOUR DEFENSE OR YOU WOULD BE SITTING IN AZKABAN, FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A FELLOW WITCH, WITH THE DEATH EATERS YOU HELPED PUT THERE. DO NOT BE LATE!"

When Kingsley's voice faded from the room, Tonks stood staring at the envelope on the floor. "Tonks, dear, are you alright?" Molly asked, only a second before the young witch went flying from the room and the sounds of sobbing followed in her wake.

"You wrote in her defense?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Of course. Remus, what's wrong?" she asked, slowly putting her hand on his shoulder as he lowered his own hands from his face.

"I have to leave."

With those words, he rose from the couch and stormed through the door. Hermione quickly followed him, along with the others. "Where are you going?" she demanded.

It was Moony, however, who answered. "The human feels he needs time to find himself or some such nonsense. I think he just wants to escape his own life and those that are too judgmental to truly be counted amongst his friends. You people sicken me and you should be ashamed of yourselves." He turned to Hermione and gently cupped her cheek with his hand. "You will know where to find me, mate. When you are ready, join us."

He leaned down and kissed her in front of everyone. It was the first time they had seen Remus kiss Hermione and most were shocked beyond belief. The inhuman screech, however, kept most from staring.

Tonks had appeared in front of the doorway. "How dare you?!"

Moony languidly broke the kiss, leaving Hermione breathless as he turned towards Tonks. "I believe a dissolution of this ridiculous union is in order, don't you? See to it while I'm gone. It will be the one thing you have managed to do right." Tonks stormed through the front door, allowing it to slam shut behind her without a word. Turning back to Hermione, Moony rasped lovingly, "Find us, we'll be waiting."

"Keep him safe," she said softly.

"I would allow him to be no other way, mate." With one last trail of his finger across her cheek, he left.

When the door shut behind him, Hermione turned to face the others. Sirius walked up to her, taking both shoulders in his hands gently.

"Go after him, love. Bring him back." With a pointed look at the others from Hermione, he added, "I'll take care of them, you just take care of Remus."

"How will you find him, Hermione?" Harry asked curiously. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," she said nervously. "I don't know how to find him."

"Might I suggest you concentrate on him?" Bill asked calmly.

"Concentrate on him?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath before giving Molly a defiant look and returning to Hermione, "I can always find Fleur by concentrating on her."

"You can?" Molly asked in shock as she remembered her own son was much like the man she was so disgustedwith only moments before.

"Maybe it is a wolf thing, I don't know, but yes, I can." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obvious concentration crossing his scarred face. "She's in Diagon Alley. Just entered it actually." A wicked grin spread across his face. "She's buying me something!"

"Okay, Hermione, give it a try."

Hermione imitated Bill, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Suddenly she could picture Remus in a cabin next to a patch of woods she had never seen before. He looked anxious and worried and her heart went out to him. A slow smile spread across her face. "I don't know where he is, but I can see it, and if I can see it, then I can…"

"Apparate to him?" Sirius asked with a smile of his own.

She nodded, then ran for the door and left with a quick 'pop' only to appear outside the very cabin she had seen in her mind. Walking cautiously to the door, she turned the knob without knocking and stood at the door.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked in obvious shock. "How did you find me? How did you…damn wolf," he conceded and grinned slightly when she smiled up at him. "Well, come on in, then."


	9. The Cabin

Hermione felt more at ease now than she had in the last two weeks. If she allowed herself to admit it, she felt better now all around than she had in the last several years. And all she was doing was following Remus into the small living room set off from the kitchen. The cabin itself was small, the furnishings Spartan, but the feeling was cozy and homey.

"What is this place?" she asked, walking around and examining the small structure.

She looked at him when he appeared reluctant to answer her. "It's a safe haven of sorts," he explained. "For, um, werewolves."

"Ah," was her only comment before she walked over to him. "So, why the sudden departure?"

He grew agitated quickly, and turned from her, wondering why it seemed so impossible to keep his hands off of her and knowing the last thing he should do would be to touch her. With his back to her, his hands on the mantle, and his gaze in the fireplace, he spoke softly, "You know what I've done over the last two weeks, Hermione, more than anyone else, you know. Not to mention what I've almost done, the way I treated her, the things I said. I could see it on their faces," he murmured quietly. "I know they would prefer if I'm nowhere around. And Harry, gods what he must think of me."

She walked up behind him, desperate to touch him, to feel his warmth and offer her own. "Remus, for an intelligent man, you know very little," she chastised. She saw him stiffen at her words and felt when his breath caught as her arms slid around his waist. "Harry is worried about you, as is Sirius. Bill is the one who told me how to find you and the twins, I would wager, are already scheming about joke ideas for werewolves. Molly is surely eating a lot of crow while I stand here now, as her own son made her see what a hypocritical bitch she was being. Tonks left and I daresay things aren't settled there yet, but she was healthy when she left."

Turning around, Remus put his own hands on her shoulders and tried to push her away. "Hermione, this thing between us, it's not right. It feels right, but it's not. He took the decision from you, took the control from us both and used us as pawns in some sick game."

Her soft laughter made him stare in shock at her beautiful face. "I would have made the decision without him, Remus, had you ever given me the choice. Believe it or not, your wedding day was one of the worst in my entire life. I physically felt a pain in my chest when you were bound to her. I thought I was crazy at the time, but now I see I wasn't. I've wanted you for so long, and he gave you to me. I'm sorry if it's not what you want." Her voice dropped and her lip quivered slightly as she continued. "Maybe there's a way around this. Maybe we can find a way for you to stay with Tonks."

He felt his chest tighten at the sight of her tears when he put a finger gently on her chin and forced her to look at him. "I felt it too, the pain that day, but I thought it was a reaction to the binding with her. All this time, I've never known how you felt. I'm afraid," he grinned, "I would have been labeled a dirty old man for pursuing you the way I wanted to years ago. So, I put you out of my head as best I could and moved on with her. It wasn't until that night in the kitchen that I realized how much I still wanted you. All those nights we spent staying up late and talking as we drank your amazing hot chocolate, I grew to love you in ways I didn't even recognize."

"You…you love me?" she asked uncertainly.

"I'm afraid I do," he replied softly.

Her smile lit up the room and she threw her arms around his neck. "I don't care what others say, Remus, I don't care. I just want you. I feel like I have to have you, like I can't be without you. It's the bond, I know, but it's so much more." Her hands slid to his cheeks and she forced him to look at her this time. "I love you, Remus Lupin."

With those words, the air began to softly blow around the room unnoticed by both as their lips met and they slowly kissed with a passion that burned to their very souls. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her flush against his body as her own arms tightened around his neck. Their tongues danced to an ancient rhythm and both felt complete for the first time in their lives.

"I want you, Hermione," Remus said huskily against her neck. "Not as the wolf taking you, but as me, with you giving yourself willingly to me."

With her head thrown back so he could continue his ministrations, she moaned her response, cradling his head closer when he nipped her skin with his teeth and eased the pain with his tongue. "Please," she pleaded softly.

"Bed, in the back," he replied, slowly walking that direction as his hands slid her shirt from her body.

Her small hands ripped his shirt down the middle, sending buttons flying in every direction and causing a small giggle to erupt from her throat. "Couch, here," she said, squeaking as he stepped on her toes when he quickly reversed their direction.

"Sorry," he mumbled, one hand already cupping her breast as he lowered his mouth and suckled her through her bra only seconds before removing it.

A moan tore from her mouth when he lay her gently on the couch and moved between her parted legs. His mouth continued to assault her neck, collarbone, breasts, and any other skin he could find while his hand slid down her side and hip, coming to rest on her thigh where he gently lifted her leg around him and he rocked against her.

"So perfect," he moaned heatedly. "It's like you were made for me." Her hands trailed along his bare back and she arched into his touch. Slowly, so very slowly, he began moving down her body, planting soft kisses as he went. He found the snap of her pants and quickly released it, drawing the fabric down her hips and legs before throwing it to the floor. "So perfect," he muttered again, his hand pulling her foot to his mouth where he kissed her tenderly. His eyes stayed on hers, both full of heat and raw sexual energy.

"Don't tease me, Remus, please," she begged in earnest. "I need to feel you, need you in me so bad it hurts."

Deep within, he understood exactly what she meant. There was an ache in his body, a desire to take her and make her his that he'd never felt before, not even as the wolf. He moved quickly up the length of her body, making his clothes disappear as though they were nothing. "Are you sure about this, Hermione?" he asked, a lame attempt to allow her an escape.

"Yes!" she cried when his fingers grazed her clit and then tested her obvious readiness.

He slid his entire length into her, reveling at the tight heat that engulfed his throbbing cock. As he moved within her wet passage, the air whipped around them, blowing their hair around and extinguishing the candles, forcing them into the semidarkness that dusk provided. Neither noticed as their eyes stayed locked on the other. Words and promises of love fell freely from their lips as they held each other tightly, her legs wrapped around his body as his pace quickened. Remus began uttering ancient words that held no meaning for Hermione, but she didn't care, the feel of him was all that mattered to her now.

Before she realized it, her body coiled and sprang, her release coming so hard and fast that it almost scared her before she began screaming his name and arching wildly beneath him. The tightening of her muscles milked his hard cock brutally and he soon joined her over the edge. A soft, surprised cry was forced from them both when their fingers burned, the faint markings of a ring turning bright against their fingers and this time, remaining without fading. The wind was blowing so hard at this point that the fireplace quickly went out as well.

Remus lay on top of her, dazed and mesmerized by the orgasm that shook him to his very core and left him unable to move. They both, however, soon began to notice the chill creeping through the air and they slowly began to stir. He sat up, gently bringing her with him as he looked at his hand, only then realizing it was almost too dark to see.

"Any idea what that was about?" Hermione asked shakily as she tried to look around the room.

Remus took her hand, his eyes glued to the rings that appeared to be inked onto their fingers. "I'm not sure," he said, "but I think we've made this a permanent arrangement."

Hermione's eyes followed his and she gasped loudly, pulling her hand from his and bringing it closer to her face. "My gods," she whispered softly, "it's the bond."

"Huh?" was his only reply, before he grabbed his chest and fell onto the floor.

Hermione watched in horror as his eyes shifted from blue to amber and back again. Watched as his face contorted in pain and her screams telling Moony to leave Remus alone went unnoticed. She knew what was happening. The book she read had told her that the wolf and man would bond together, become one with no separation between the two, but to see it happening, to see the pain and hear his cries, made her want to cry for him. He threw himself onto the ground, screaming in agony and clutching his head as the wolf merged with his body, making them one in the same.

She lowered herself gently beside him, wanting desperately to hold and console him. With a sudden jerk, she was pushed roughly away and Remus flipped over, a tight grimace covering his shadowed face as he held his eyes shut tightly, spasms shaking his body roughly. Blood began to trail down his chin where he had bitten his lip to keep from crying out any more. A sharp gust of wind blew through the cabin, shaking it down to its very foundation and causing the few light-weight furnishings to crash to the ground.

And just as suddenly, it stopped. The wind disappeared, Remus' cries and whimpers ceased, and he lay still on the ground, unmoving and breathing hard. Hermione groped for her wand in the dark, finding it in the pocket of her pants which had blown against the couch. She relit the candles and the fireplace, then crawled over to Remus. With gentle hands, she turned him to face her and gasped at the sight. Remus was breathing shakily, but the grey that had peppered his hair only minutes before was gone, leaving only sandy-brown locks which fell over his forehead. Softly, she brushed the hair from his face and stared in shock. Scars and wrinkles no longer marred his beautiful features, but blended with them, leaving him looking younger and more rough and wild than she had ever imagined. She trailed her fingers along his face, silent tears still falling from her eyes.

"Are you going to stare all night, or kiss me?" he rasped.

Oh gods, his voice! The sweet, gentle voice of Remus had merged with the raspy, gravely voice of Moony and the effect was amazing; shaking her to the very depths of her soul and making her want him all over again.

"My gods, Remus," she said in awe.

He grinned up at her, all evidence of his recent pain completely erased and his expression almost cocky as he sat up to face her, both completely unashamed with their nudity.

"You do realize what this means, don't you?" he asked smugly.

She grinned back and replied, "I think so."

"It means that you, my beautiful mate, are stuck with me until death. It means that you have no choice but to allow me to love you until we're both so old and grey we can't talk long enough to argue. And it means that we belong to each other for eternity."

"I think it means you get to be an arrogant arse and get away with it."

"Cheeky little witch," he said, before pushing her back to the floor.

His fingers stroked her lazily, starting on her face and working down between her breasts to her stomach. Little bumps raised along her flesh and her nipples hardened once more. '_Oh gods! I want you all over again!' _She thought numbly to herself.

A surprised look fell across Remus' face as he looked at her, his hands stopped in their motions. '_And I want you,'_ he replied in his mind, shocking her as much as she shocked him.

"Apparently the book left a few things out," Hermione said in amazement.

'_Apparently so,'_ Remus replied, using the more intimate form of contact now.

'_Wonder what this means?' _Hermione thought back, before another wave of nausea swept through her body.

'_It means, my love,' _he said with a wide smile as he splayed his fingers over her belly, '_that you should drink more chocolate. It would appear that our little boy will be quite restless until he's able to face the world.'_

"WHAT?!" Hermione screeched, scrambling to sit up again, but being held down gently by Remus. "No way! I'm not pregnant! And even if I was, it's too soon to be sick."

"Perhaps," he answered, "but everything happens earlier for us. In less than seven months, Hermione, you will be the proud mother of a very rambunctious little boy."

"I will?" she asked softly, amazement forcing away her initial shock as she covered Remus' hand with her own.

"Yes, you will."

"Will he…will he be…"

"A wolf? No, he'll be perfectly normal. He'll be perfect in every way, I imagine."

"How do you know it's a boy?"

"I don't know, I just do." Remus shrugged as if it were nothing, but they were quickly interrupted.

An owl flew through the house and dropped an envelope on the floor by their heads. They looked at each other in confusion for several seconds before Remus sat up and took the letter.

"It must be from the Ministry," Hermione mused. "They are the only ones who could find us no matter where we are, but no one should be there this late at night."

"Announcing the dissolution of marriage of one Remus J. Lupin to one Nymphadora M. Tonks," Remus read aloud, a grin covering his face, "on the grounds of adultery and assault. Bla bla bla," he added.

"What?!" Hermione screeched. "She can't do that! She's trying to get you locked up!"

"She can and she has. And she's completely within her rights to do so, love. I did have an affair and I did assault her. She's only using the truth to her advantage and, as long as it rids us of her, then I don't care how she does it."

"What does the second page say?"

Remus chuckled as he began to read the informal letter attached. "After an interesting discussion with Sirius today, I thought you might both want to know this as soon as possible. Enjoy your time together and each other. Have no worries over an impending investigation and what not, I was able to smooth things over and have the papers filed immediately with no one else seeing. Tonks will be fully reprimanded for her actions against Hermione and I daresay it will be awhile before you see her. I'm laughing in case you were curious, hating myself for doing so, but unable to stop the laughter! Kind Regards, Kings."

Hermione and Remus both stared at the paper in shock. Quiet seconds passed where only the crackling of the fire was heard before they both suddenly broke down in laughter as well.

"Ah, Kings, he's priceless!" Remus panted.

"Bloody wanker," Hermione said, slapping Remus on the shoulder. "I was so worried!"

They sobered somewhat, staring into each other's eyes and beginning to crave the other's body. Remus leaned in and claimed Hermione's mouth with his own as she pulled him back down on top of her.

Her mouth was not all that he claimed that night. As the early morning sun rose in the sky, Remus claimed her mind, her body and soul, and he claimed her heart.


	10. Epilogue

A/N: So, this is it for this Moony/Hermione story! :( Just remember, I have SEVERAL in the works and all are quite different from the others. I hope, when I finish those (as most of my stories are completed before I post) that you'll check those out and fall in love with Moony all over again! Let me know what you think of their happy little future (sirius, too) and what you really thought of the story in general. I love to hear from all of you! AND I just found out this story was nominated for the Quill to Parchment awards for best 'rare pair'! Moony demands that you vote for him and Remus just looks amused! lol

"Daddyyyyyy!"

Remus turned, catching his little boy in his arms and swinging him around lovingly. "And where have you been all day, young man?"

"I was with Mummy, and Nucle Harry, and Nucle Snirius, and…" the little boy's face scrunched in thought, trying to remember if anyone else had joined them that day.

"If you don't teach him my name soon, Moony, he'll call me Padfoot and nothing else."

Harry walked in behind Sirius, patting him on the back and laughing. "Too close to Snivellus for you?"

Sirius only glared at his godson, but the mock-tension was broken when Hermione walked in, a smile on her face as she looked around at her boys.

"Hello, love," Remus said softly, kissing his wife as their little boy wiggled in his arms until he was sat down.

"Ewww," he said, wrinkling his nose at the affection between his parents.

"What's the matter, John, don't like to see your Daddy kiss your Mummy?" Sirius asked good-naturedly.

"No," he replied defiantly, his little two-year old hands on his hips in a gesture so reminiscent of Hermione it made them all chuckle each time. "'Cuz after they kiss some, he starts missing her mouth."

"He does, eh?" Harry goaded, watching them all with a smile on his face and laughing as Hermione ducked her head into Remus' chest. The affection between the two had been a bit hard to get used to at first, but now they all freely admitted to being slightly jealous of the two obviously in love.

With a grimace on his pudgy face, he said, "He kisses her neck and everything. Yuck!"

Their laughter was only broken when the door flew open and Daphne walked in with her mother, both laden with packages and bags as they tried to run in the house before the rain came down. Bill and a very pregnant Fleur walking in closely behind them.

"Hermione," she said hastily, "I'm so sorry to just barge in your house, but it's starting to rain and…what are you all doing?" she asked hesitantly when she noticed they had all been laughing.

"Ignore them. They're just a bunch of men with too much time on their hands," Hermione said, taking some of the boxes from the two women and then pushing the guys forward to do the same. Bill walked an exhausted Fleur to a nearby chair.

'_I'd like to have my hands on something, love, but it has nothing to do with what's in these boxes.'_

'_Oh, really? I'm sure Daphne picked up a few things for their wedding night. Interested?'_

'_Think she'd notice?' _

Hermione and Remus stopped their inner dialogue with a pointed look from Harry. "I have no idea what you two are talking about, nor do I care, but this stuff is rather heavy and my future bride is giving me _that look._ So, if we could move this along a bit."

He grunted when Daphne's elbow connected with his ribs, but smiled sweetly at her nonetheless.

Sirius, however, was quietly talking to Daphne's mother as he took her wet coat. "You're soaking wet," he said softly. "You should change clothes before you get sick."

"Worried about me, Black?" she asked coyly, extracting her wand and casting a drying spell upon herself, laughing as he rolled his eyes and escorted her to the kitchen for tea.

"Interesting," Remus muttered.

"Disturbing," Harry said, watching the door his godfather and his soon to be mother-in-law had disappeared through.

Rolling their eyes, Hermione and Daphne began putting away the boxes, most of which were set to the side to come out for the wedding tomorrow.

"Are you sure it's okay for them all to crash here tonight?" Daphne asked a bit nervously.

"Positive! Look at it this way, if they all stay here, I can keep an eye on them and make sure they don't over do things. And," she added happily, "he can't possibly be late to his own wedding if it's only several meters away, now can he?"

Daphne seemed to relax then. "Thank you again for letting us have the wedding here. Your house is just amazing and as soon as I saw the forest out back, I knew it was what I wanted. And you know Harry, he'll do anything I ask him to do."

"Yes, it's quite disgusting really," Sirius joked, having come back into the room. "He's become a carbon copy of his father."

"And what is wrong with making my daughter happy, if it makes him happy, Mr. Black?"

Sirius grinned, that mischievous grin that made them all groan. "Why, not a thing, Cat," he purred. "So, tell me, what is it that makes you happy?"

"You," she said seductively, walking right in front of a very shocked Sirius and smiling sweetly, "leaving," she added with a wink as he chuckled and shook his head.

"Met your match, eh, Padfoot?"

"You know, Moony, I think I have," he replied, watching the blond woman as she talked with the girls and laughed. "Well, it could be worse, young Mr. Malfoy could be spending the night as well."

"Please don't even suggest it," Harry groaned. "Malfoy thinks that because he married Daph's little sister that he can be more unbearable than usual. Although they all swear she's slowly working it out of him."

"Owl!" Daphne called, ducking as the bird flew through the window and landed on the table between Hermione and Remus.

'_Go on, love, open it.'_

Hermione took the envelope from the owl's leg, offering it a treat and watching as it flew quickly through the window.

Dear Remus and Hermione,

I hope this letter finds you both in good health and happiness. I believe enough time has passed that this will be read without animosity from you both. That thought almost makes me laugh as I realize that the animosity came mostly from myself. I really just wanted to apologize for everything. As you know, I was sent to the States on 'assignment' and not allowed to return for five years. However strange this country may be, I have found an amazing man who actually wants to spend his life with me. It was through him, more than anything else, that I came to understand my feelings of the past, along with my actions.

Hermione, what I tried to do to you is unforgivable, but I hope that given time, you will find it in yourself to do so. I heard you and Remus were married shortly after your bonding and I am truly happy for the both of you. Funnily enough, my intended is also a werewolf, infected several years ago and trying desperately to change the laws here the way you two have changed them there. I have met his wolf and now fully understand why things happened the way they did between the two of you. It's the most amazing connection in the world and I thank Merlin every day that I have been so blessed.

Please, accept this as a peace offering to the both of you and know that I wish you only the best in life.

Sincerely,

Nymphadora Tonks

"Well, I suppose that puts an end to that, then," Harry said. "When she does come back, we don't have to worry about what she's going to do."

"I'm glad she finally understands," Hermione said softly, wiping a tear from her cheek as Remus held her. He gently kissed her and before either realized it, the letter drifted forgotten to the floor and their arms wound tightly around each other.

A cough brought them both back to attention, Hermione blushing slightly as she bent to pick up the letter.

Bill chuckled as Fleur said sweetly, "Eet must be a wolf thing. My Beel is insatiable."

"Yes," Bill added with a grin, "she just hates that I didn't get the voice or the seven month pregnancy abilities!" Fleur nodded her agreement as the others laughed at Hermione's embarrassment.

Several hours later, Daphne and Catherine had left, while Bill and Fleur agreed to take John with them, saying that it would be best if Harry and the boys got out of hand that a child not be around to witness it. Sirius, Harry, Hermione, and Remus sat in the living room and argued about whether or not it was their way of getting a bit of practice before the baby was born.

The next day Harry would be married in Remus and Hermione's backyard, in a very small and private ceremony--his only request and one that Daphne had readily agreed to.

Hermione and Remus were snuggled on the couch, wrapped up in each other as usual while Sirius ribbed Harry on the impending loss of his manhood.

"Well, old man, it's not like you haven't been caught with Catherine a time or two."

Sirius scowled at being called an old man, before softening his expression and saying, "True. At least you have my taste in women."

Hermione came over, kissing them both on top of their heads. "I'm going to take a shower now. You two make yourselves at home as usual and I'll see you early in the morning."

"Night, Hermione," they chorused in unison.

Remus, however, had a very mischievous look on his handsome face.

"What are you planning, Remus?" Harry asked fearfully.

He chuckled softly before answering, "Just playing with my wife."

Sirius and Harry both groaned before turning back to dragging out their chess game and discussing whether or not Molly would come in and try to take over the entire wedding in her motherly fashion. At least, they both agreed, she had apologized to Remus and Hermione and made amends.

'_I'm naked now. The water is so warm. Sure you don't want to join me?'_

'_I could be convinced.'_

'_I did say I was naked. Besides, it's much more fun when it's your hands running all over my hot, soapy body.'_

'_My hands, my mouth, my hard cock. I know what you want, wife, what you still want after all this time. You want me to pick you up in my arms as you wrap your legs around me. You want me to pound you right into that wall you're leaning against, don't you?'_

"REMUS LUPIN GET YOUR ARSE UP HERE NOW!" Hermione screamed from the upstairs bathroom.

Chuckling softly, Remus stood from the couch and winked at the two men shaking their heads. "Well, good night, you two."

"SILENCING CHARMS!" they both yelled as he walked up the steps to join his wife.

Later, when the time was right and their world settled down from the events of the wedding, he would tell his wife how happy he truly was. He'd kiss her from head to toe, paying special attention to her belly, as he thanked her for the little girl she didn't yet know was growing inside of her.

His family, his life, would finally be what he had always dreamed.


End file.
